Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Tuesday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on VRTS. Barclays began coverage on Virtus Investment Partners in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $206.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Virtus Investment Partners from $208.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Virtus Investment Partners currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.50.

Virtus Investment Partners Stock Down 1.5 %

VRTS opened at $238.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a PE ratio of 14.47 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $215.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $219.17. The company has a quick ratio of 15.18, a current ratio of 11.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Virtus Investment Partners has a 52 week low of $190.42 and a 52 week high of $263.39.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Virtus Investment Partners

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 204.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,119 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $2,957,000 after acquiring an additional 9,488 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 59.4% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 2,223 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 828 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Virtus Investment Partners by 592.0% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 9,218 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $1,931,000 after buying an additional 7,886 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its holdings in 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 period. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd raised 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 buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

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.