Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Holdings Cut by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank reduced its stake in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 13,900 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Virtus Investment Partners were worth $3,066,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 388.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 127 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 170.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners in the fourth quarter valued at $75,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 395 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 610 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. 80.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VRTS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $274.00 to $258.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays cut their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $221.00 to $200.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $211.00 to $198.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.75.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Performance

VRTS opened at $174.49 on Thursday. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 1-year low of $167.13 and a 1-year high of $263.39. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $188.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $210.62. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.16%. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.25%.

Virtus Investment Partners Profile

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.