Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) Price Target Lowered to $125.00 at Morgan Stanley

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) had its price target cut by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $125.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “underweight” rating on the closed-end fund’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential downside of 6.41% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on VRTS. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $218.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research raised Virtus Investment Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Virtus Investment Partners presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $161.50.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Performance

VRTS opened at $133.57 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a current ratio of 11.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $894.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $142.20 and a 200 day moving average of $161.30. Virtus Investment Partners has a fifty-two week low of $124.70 and a fifty-two week high of $215.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director W Howard Morris acquired 2,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $129.34 per share, for a total transaction of $278,081.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,680. This trade represents a -1,433.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtus Investment Partners

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $421,000. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC purchased a new position in Virtus Investment Partners during the fourth quarter worth $666,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 2,077 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in Virtus Investment Partners during the fourth quarter valued at $266,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 4,008 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $654,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

Virtus Investment Partners Company Profile

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.