Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Stock Jumps 6.9% – Should You Buy?

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT)’s share price traded up 6.9% on Friday. The company traded as high as $59.34 and last traded at $59.43. Approximately 600,545 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 1,278,181 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.62.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Virtu Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Zacks Research lowered Virtu Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $58.80.

Virtu Financial Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $59.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.25. The firm has a market cap of $9.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.91, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $984.69 million during the quarter. Virtu Financial had a net margin of 13.50% and a return on equity of 49.06%. Virtu Financial has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.820-1.820 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current year.

Virtu Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st were given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.95%.

Insider Transactions at Virtu Financial

In other Virtu Financial news, Director Joseph J. Grano, Jr. sold 8,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total value of $511,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 33,814 shares in the company, valued at $2,060,625.16. This trade represents a 19.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John Nixon sold 9,094 shares of Virtu Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.13, for a total transaction of $546,822.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 30,902 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,137.26. This trade represents a 22.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 46.76% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtu Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIRT. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Virtu Financial by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 25,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,512,000 after purchasing an additional 2,460 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial in the second quarter worth $217,000. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial in the second quarter worth $1,792,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Virtu Financial during the second quarter valued at $285,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 68.1% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 14,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $847,000 after buying an additional 5,762 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.78% of the company’s stock.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc is a global financial services company that provides liquidity and execution services to the financial markets. Through its market-making business, the company buys and sells securities across a range of asset classes, including equities, exchange-traded funds, options, fixed income, foreign exchange and commodities. Its activities help facilitate trading for investors and other market participants.

Virtu also provides institutional clients with technology, trading tools, analytics and workflow solutions through its execution services business.