Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) Sets New 52-Week High at $22.88

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $22.88 and last traded at $22.77, with a volume of 722641 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on VIRT. Citigroup increased their price target on Virtu Financial from $22.50 to $24.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group cut their target price on Virtu Financial from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Virtu Financial from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com raised Virtu Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Virtu Financial from $19.20 to $21.70 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.24.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $20.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.11.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.28%. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtu Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 79.9% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 746 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in Virtu Financial by 112.3% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 48.1% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,574 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 1,161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 1,867.8% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 3,885 shares during the period. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.