Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $131.87 and last traded at $133.28, with a volume of 12795 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $138.35.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VRTS. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $168.00 to $155.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $218.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Zacks Research raised Virtus Investment Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners in a report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $169.00.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Down 3.8%

The firm has a market capitalization of $890.77 million, a P/E ratio of 7.87 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $170.11. The company has a quick ratio of 11.86, a current ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $2.40 per share. This represents a $9.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio is 48.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 224.8% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 10,944 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,080,000 after purchasing an additional 7,575 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 2,043.0% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 26,059 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $4,952,000 after acquiring an additional 24,843 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 261.8% during the 3rd quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 14,054 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $2,671,000 after acquiring an additional 10,170 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the third quarter worth approximately $3,307,000. Finally, Villanova Investment Management Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 167.2% during the second quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 10,516 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $1,908,000 after purchasing an additional 6,580 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

Virtus Investment Partners Company Profile

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ: VRTS) is a publicly traded investment management company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. The firm offers a broad range of investment solutions to institutional, high-net-wealth, and retail investors, drawing on the expertise of multiple affiliated investment teams. Since its founding in 1995, Virtus has grown by integrating specialized asset managers and expanding its product lineup, while maintaining a focus on active management across diverse market environments.

The company’s product suite encompasses mutual funds, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), collective trusts, UCITS funds, and separately managed accounts.