Handelsbanken Fonder AB Acquires 100 Shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,300 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Virtus Investment Partners were worth $287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 388.5% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 127 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 11.9% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,174 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 21.5% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 57.2% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 610 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. 80.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Down 2.5 %

VRTS opened at $183.17 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $202.73 and a 200-day moving average of $214.37. The company has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 1.47. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $179.38 and a fifty-two week high of $263.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 11.86 and a current ratio of 11.86.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.91%. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.