GRANO JOSEPH J JR sold $512K of VIRT

Virtu Financial (VIRT) shares rose 6.1% after J.P. Morgan upgraded the stock to Overweight from Neutral, citing potential growth from higher volumes in existing products and new product expansion.

JPMorgan upgraded Virtu Financial (VIRT) to Overweight with a $84.00 price target, citing growth prospects and product innovation. The stock is up 79% YTD. Virtu's Q2 earnings beat estimates, with $1.82 EPS and $949M revenue. Piper Sandler maintains Overweight rating with $70.00 target. The company is reportedly considering selling its brokerage unit for over $3.5B.

Virtu Financial (VIRT) rose 2.9% in pre-market trading after JPMorgan upgraded it to Overweight and raised its price target to $84 from $61. The bank cited product innovation and growth potential. The move is attributed to the upgrade, not broader market trends. VIRT's next earnings report is expected in late October.

Piper Sandler maintained an Overweight rating and $70 price target for Virtu Financial (VIRT), viewing a potential sale of Virtu Execution Services as a timing issue. The stock is down 15% since reports of a brokerage sale but up 66% year-over-year. VIRT reported strong Q2 earnings, beating estimates, but questions remain about sustainability. Piper Sandler sees a potential sale as over 50% accretive to 2028 EPS forecasts.

Virtu Financial (NYSE:VIRT) reported Q2 2026 results on an earnings call. Total revenues were $1.19B, up 19%, driven by trading income and commissions. Adjusted net trading income was $717.9M, and adjusted EBITDA was $436.8M with a 60.8% margin. Normalized adjusted EPS was $1.82. The firm raised $500M via an incremental term loan.

Virtu Financial (VIRT) reported Q2 revenue of $717.87M, up 26.5% year over year, versus a Zacks estimate of $662.03M. EPS was $1.82 versus $1.68 expected. Revenue beat by 8.44% and EPS by 8.33%. Key adjusted net trading income metrics also exceeded some analyst estimates.