Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,099 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after selling 128 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.07% of Virtus Investment Partners worth $1,125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VRTS. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,300 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its stake in Virtus Investment Partners by 388.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 127 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 170.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 395 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 21.5% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. 80.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Down 0.5 %

VRTS stock opened at $172.40 on Tuesday. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $186.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $210.00. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 52 week low of $167.13 and a 52 week high of $252.82. The company has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.20 and a beta of 1.49.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Virtus Investment Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VRTS. 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $211.00 to $198.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised Virtus Investment Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Virtus Investment Partners from $221.00 to $200.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.75.

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.