Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) Sees Strong Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) saw strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 53,229 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the previous session’s volume of 108,744 shares.The stock last traded at $164.1650 and had previously closed at $163.02.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VRTS shares. Barclays upped their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $125.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $181.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $112.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $136.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $144.25.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $148.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $146.02. The company has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 11.86 and a quick ratio of 11.86.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $2.40 per share. This represents a $9.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.50%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VRTS. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 574.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 46,059 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $8,753,000 after buying an additional 39,233 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 101.1% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 77,937 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $12,715,000 after acquiring an additional 39,188 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 220.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 37,737 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $7,171,000 after acquiring an additional 25,961 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter valued at $4,146,000. Finally, Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter valued at $4,079,000. 80.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.