Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) Shares Sold by Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. cut its holdings in Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIRT) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Virtu Financial were worth $743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Virtu Financial by 0.5% in the third quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 171,087 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,955,000 after buying an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 112.3% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 85,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388 shares during the last quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 43,632 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 2,477 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 18,611 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 2,889 shares during the period. 45.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Douglas A. Cifu bought 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.21 per share, for a total transaction of $810,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 584,132 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,468,779.72. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 44.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Virtu Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ VIRT traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $22.77. 769,424 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,089,904. Virtu Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.02 and a 12-month high of $22.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $20.30 and a 200 day moving average of $19.05. The company has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on VIRT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Virtu Financial from $20.00 to $21.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $22.50 to $24.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Virtu Financial from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Virtu Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.24.

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.