Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) Stock Price

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $125.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “underweight” rating on the closed-end fund’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 1.81% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Virtus Investment Partners from $180.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Virtus Investment Partners in a report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research raised Virtus Investment Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Virtus Investment Partners from $218.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $161.50.

Virtus Investment Partners Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of Virtus Investment Partners stock opened at $127.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $852.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.53 and a beta of 1.47. Virtus Investment Partners has a 52-week low of $121.61 and a 52-week high of $215.06. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $160.85. The company has a quick ratio of 11.86, a current ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director W Howard Morris purchased 2,150 shares of Virtus Investment Partners stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $129.34 per share, for a total transaction of $278,081.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,680. The trade was a -1,433.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtus Investment Partners

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners during the fourth quarter worth $421,000. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC acquired a new stake in Virtus Investment Partners in the fourth quarter valued at $666,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 2,077 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners during the 4th quarter worth $266,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 4,008 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $654,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. 80.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Virtus Investment Partners Company Profile

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ: VRTS) is a publicly traded investment management company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. The firm offers a broad range of investment solutions to institutional, high-net-wealth, and retail investors, drawing on the expertise of multiple affiliated investment teams. Since its founding in 1995, Virtus has grown by integrating specialized asset managers and expanding its product lineup, while maintaining a focus on active management across diverse market environments.

The company’s product suite encompasses mutual funds, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), collective trusts, UCITS funds, and separately managed accounts.