Vulcan Value Partners LLC Has $21.76 Million Position in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)

Vulcan Value Partners LLC lessened its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 14.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 98,628 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after selling 16,449 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Value Partners LLC’s holdings in Virtus Investment Partners were worth $21,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTS. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 170.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners in the fourth quarter valued at $75,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 395 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the fourth quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. Institutional investors own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on VRTS shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $216.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $211.00 to $198.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $200.00 to $149.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $220.00 to $158.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Virtus Investment Partners currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $179.00.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRTS opened at $153.11 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 11.86, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 1-year low of $142.18 and a 1-year high of $252.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.06 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $167.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.34.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.88%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.25%.

Virtus Investment Partners Profile

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to individual and institutional clients. It launches separate client focused equity and fixed income portfolios. The firm launches equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients.