Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) Shares Acquired by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTS) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,600 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,224 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Virtus Investment Partners were worth $15,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,300 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 388.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 127 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 11.9% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,174 shares of the closed-end fund’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Virtus Investment Partners by 61.2% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Virtus Investment Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler decreased 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 research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays decreased 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 research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Virtus Investment Partners has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.75.

Virtus Investment Partners Price Performance

Shares of VRTS opened at $183.17 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 11.86 and a quick ratio of 11.86. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. has a 1-year low of $179.38 and a 1-year high of $263.39. The stock has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $202.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $214.37.

Virtus Investment Partners Announces Dividend

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

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.