Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Shares Bought by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) by 2,749.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,537 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Virtu Financial were worth $168,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Virtu Financial by 172.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the period. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Virtu Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. 45.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Virtu Financial Trading Up 4.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ VIRT opened at $35.71 on Monday. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $19.06 and a one year high of $41.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.53 billion, a PE ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $37.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.91.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.32. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 27.39% and a net margin of 9.61%. As a group, analysts predict that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 32.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VIRT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Virtu Financial from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 72,967 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total value of $2,688,104.28. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 90,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,343,193.16. This trade represents a 44.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 34,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $1,271,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 157,703 shares in the company, valued at $5,899,669.23. The trade was a 17.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,967 shares of company stock worth $5,213,964 in the last three months. 46.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Virtu Financial

Virtu Financial, Inc operates as a financial services company in the United States, Asia Pacific, Canada, EMEA, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Market Making and Execution Services. Its product includes offerings in execution, liquidity sourcing, analytics and broker-neutral, capital markets, and multi-dealer platforms in workflow technology.