Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Short Interest Down 12.8% in February

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) saw a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,580,000 shares, a drop of 12.8% from the January 31st total of 2,960,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 908,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Virtu Financial Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of VIRT stock opened at $36.27 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.46. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $37.18 and its 200 day moving average is $34.60. Virtu Financial has a 12-month low of $18.72 and a 12-month high of $41.38.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts expect that Virtu Financial will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VIRT. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Virtu Financial from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Virtu Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Virtu Financial news, COO Brett Fairclough sold 72,967 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total transaction of $2,688,104.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Cavoli sold 34,000 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $1,271,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 157,703 shares of the company’s stock, 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 corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtu Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in Virtu Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $1,081,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D bought a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the third quarter worth about $1,971,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 391,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,970,000 after buying an additional 5,371 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 60.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 55,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,691,000 after acquiring an additional 20,843 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP raised its stake in Virtu Financial by 124.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 53,785 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 29,844 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.78% of the company’s stock.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

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.