Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $175.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VRTS shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $168.00 to $155.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $218.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays increased their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th.

Virtus Investment Partners Price Performance

VRTS stock opened at $151.19 on Friday. Virtus Investment Partners has a 12-month low of $142.18 and a 12-month high of $215.06. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.95 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $164.78 and a 200-day moving average of $177.98. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Saturday, January 31st will be given a $2.40 dividend. This represents a $9.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.28%.

Institutional Trading of Virtus Investment Partners

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 109.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 229,357 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $43,585,000 after buying an additional 119,802 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 23.8% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 155,881 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $29,622,000 after buying an additional 29,919 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 154,982 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $28,115,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 22.4% during the second quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 125,078 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $22,913,000 after purchasing an additional 22,900 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 101,954 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $18,494,000 after purchasing an additional 18,143 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

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.