AlphaQuest LLC Grows Stock Position in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. $VRTS

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 224.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,944 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,575 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Virtus Investment Partners were worth $2,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 1.5% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 4,670 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $887,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 2,043.0% in the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 26,059 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $4,952,000 after buying an additional 24,843 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 1,477 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 22.9% during the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,760 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 106.8% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,428 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 1,770 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on VRTS. Barclays increased their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $173.00 to $168.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $225.00 to $218.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $181.25.

Virtus Investment Partners Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of VRTS stock opened at $163.31 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $165.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 11.86 and a quick ratio of 11.86. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 1-year low of $142.18 and a 1-year high of $215.06. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.66 and a beta of 1.47.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, January 31st will be issued a $2.40 dividend. This represents a $9.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.28%.

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.