Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Holdings Cut by Santa Monica Partners LP

Santa Monica Partners LP decreased its stake in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,680 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after selling 396 shares during the quarter. Virtus Investment Partners makes up about 0.7% of Santa Monica Partners LP’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Santa Monica Partners LP’s holdings in Virtus Investment Partners were worth $1,253,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRTS. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 255,536 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $53,522,000 after buying an additional 16,586 shares in the last quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. lifted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 110,429 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $23,129,000 after buying an additional 12,193 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its position in Virtus Investment Partners by 57.1% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 26,167 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $5,481,000 after buying an additional 9,508 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 204.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,119 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $2,957,000 after purchasing an additional 9,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 592.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 9,218 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $1,931,000 after purchasing an additional 7,886 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRTS opened at $186.65 on Friday. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.65 and a 1 year high of $263.39. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $213.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $215.61. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 7.26 and a beta of 1.47.

Virtus Investment Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 12th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $2.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.82%. Virtus Investment Partners’s payout ratio is presently 53.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VRTS. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $211.00 to $198.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $221.00 to $200.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Virtus Investment Partners presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.