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Bull of the Day: Virtu Financial (VIRT)
The broad market has been rocking and rolling as of late. After the major risk event of the FOMC was on the books, investors have turned towards earnings. The good news is that there have been some fantastic reports coming from the Mag 7 stocks early on. It’s led to some huge returns for the riskiest of equities.
Amidst that backdrop, it can feel like any stock you pick is destined to skyrocket. But be careful, eventually what will matter is earnings. Stocks with the strongest earnings trends are in the best position to grow over the long-term. We find those stocks every day by leaning on the strength of the Zacks Rank. Stocks with the best Zacks Ranks have the most powerful earnings trends.
One such stock is today’s Bull of the Day, Virtu Financial ((VIRT - Free Report) ). Virtu Financial operates as a financial services company in the United States, Asia Pacific, Canada, EMEA, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Market Making and Execution Services. Its product includes offerings in execution, liquidity sourcing, analytics and broker-neutral, capital markets, and multi-dealer platforms in workflow technology.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
This company thrives when there is movement in financial markets. As a high-frequency trading firm, they love to see the volatility. It’s shown up in their earnings as well, and it’s a big reason why this is currently a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Over the last sixty days, five analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current year while three have followed suit for next year. The bullish moves have pushed up our Zacks Consensus Estimates for FY25 from $3.05 to $3.24 while next year’s number is up from $2.98 to $3.29.
The company is coming off a huge earnings beat with Q4 2024 EPS coming in at $1.14 versus expectations calling for just 86 cents. That 32% beat was the fourth consecutive quarterly beat for the company. A quick look at the Price, Consensus and Earnings Surprise Chart shows how earnings bottomed out at the start of 2024 and have skyrocketed since. The series of beats means that the company consistently under-promises and over-delivers. That’s what has delivered new all-time highs for the stock here to start 2025.