Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Stock Holdings Increased by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,126 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after buying an additional 307 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Virtus Investment Partners worth $910,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 170.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the fourth quarter worth approximately $75,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings 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 valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners in the fourth quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. 80.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Virtus Investment Partners Price Performance

NASDAQ VRTS opened at $159.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.41 and a beta of 1.36. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 1 year low of $142.18 and a 1 year high of $252.82. The company has a current ratio of 11.86, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $200.46.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The closed-end fund reported $5.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.68 by $0.05. Virtus Investment Partners had a return on equity of 21.56% and a net margin of 13.42%. The business had revenue of $217.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $201.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.41 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. will post 27.7 EPS for the current year.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $211.00 to $198.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays set a $150.00 price objective on Virtus Investment Partners and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $216.00 to $211.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com cut Virtus Investment Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $220.00 to $158.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has 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 $179.25.

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.