Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Trading Down 4.8% – Should You Sell?

Virtu Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VIRT)’s stock price was down 4.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $63.07 and last traded at $62.1950. 390,002 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 1,291,623 shares. The stock had previously closed at $65.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on VIRT shares. Wall Street Zen cut Virtu Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Virtu Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Virtu Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Virtu Financial from $39.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Virtu Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.80.

Virtu Financial Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 10.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.62.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $984.69 million for 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Virtu Financial, Inc. will post 6.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Virtu Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Virtu Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.95%.

Insider Transactions at Virtu Financial

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

Institutional Trading of Virtu Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIRT. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 480.6% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 692 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 103.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Virtu Financial by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Virtu Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Virtu Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.78% of the company’s stock.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc is a technology-driven electronic trading firm and market maker that provides liquidity and price discovery across a wide range of financial instruments. Leveraging advanced analytics, high-performance computing and proprietary algorithms, Virtu operates in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodities and derivative products. Its technology platform is designed to capture bid-ask spreads in real time, manage risk through automated controls and adapt to changing market conditions.

The company offers a suite of execution services and market-making solutions to institutional clients such as asset managers, banks, broker-dealers and hedge funds.