Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $126.11 and last traded at $126.4950, with a volume of 45349 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $127.69.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $218.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on 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. Zacks Research upgraded Virtus Investment Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $169.00.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Down 1.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $846.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.48 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a current ratio of 11.86. The business’s 50 day moving average is $151.64 and its 200 day moving average is $167.24.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $2.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $9.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.6%. Virtus Investment Partners’s payout ratio is 48.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtus Investment Partners

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTS. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 4,670 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $887,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 5.6% in the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 1,668 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 24.1% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 499 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,401 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 0.8% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 12,700 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,413,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

About Virtus Investment Partners

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.