Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Shares Acquired by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,174 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Virtus Investment Partners were worth $246,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the 1st quarter worth approximately $657,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 80.6% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,918 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $3,451,000 after buying an additional 6,213 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Virtus Investment Partners in the first quarter valued at $517,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 80.2% in the first quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 23,506 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $5,825,000 after acquiring an additional 10,461 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 183.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 8,287 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $1,872,000 after acquiring an additional 5,359 shares in the last quarter. 80.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Virtus Investment Partners Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of Virtus Investment Partners stock opened at $244.05 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 15.18, a quick ratio of 15.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a twelve month low of $190.42 and a twelve month high of $263.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $211.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.66.

Virtus Investment Partners Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This is an increase from Virtus Investment Partners’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.90. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $208.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Barclays initiated coverage on Virtus Investment Partners in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $206.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.50.

About Virtus Investment Partners

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to individual and institutional clients. It launches separate client focused equity and fixed income portfolios. The firm launches equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients.