Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Thursday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on VIRT. Wall Street Zen downgraded Virtu Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Virtu Financial from $39.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Virtu Financial from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Virtu Financial in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $58.80.

Virtu Financial Price Performance

Shares of VIRT opened at $53.46 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $8.30 billion, a PE ratio of 8.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.76. Virtu Financial has a 1-year low of $31.55 and a 1-year high of $68.76.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Virtu Financial

In other Virtu Financial news, Director John Nixon sold 9,094 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director owned 30,902 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,137.26. This represents a 22.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph J. Grano, Jr. sold 8,400 shares of the firm’s 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 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 46.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtu Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIRT. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,460 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the second quarter worth approximately $217,000. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the second quarter worth approximately $1,792,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Virtu Financial in the second quarter worth $285,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of Virtu Financial by 68.1% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 14,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 5,762 shares during the period. 45.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc is a global financial services company that provides liquidity and execution services across the financial markets. Through its market-making operations, the company quotes buy and sell prices and facilitates trading in a range of securities, including equities, exchange-traded funds, options, futures, foreign exchange and fixed-income products.

Virtu also provides technology-enabled execution and workflow solutions to institutions, brokers, and other market participants.