A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Virtu Financial (VIRT). Shares have lost about 10.5% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Virtu Financial due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.
Virtu Financial Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Strong Market Making
Virtu Financial reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.14, which outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 32.6%. The bottom line jumped more than four-fold year over year.
Adjusted net trading income improved more than 75% year over year to $457.7 million in the quarter under review. It beat the consensus estimate by 14.7%.
The strong fourth-quarter results were aided by a strong revenue contribution from the Market Making segment and Execution Services segment. Higher net trading income and commissions supported these two segments. However, the upside was partly offset by an elevated overall expense level.
Revenues from commissions, net and technology services amounted to $140.5 million, rising 22.8% year over year. The metric beat the consensus mark and our model estimate of $127.4 million. Interest and dividend income of $123.8 million fell from $154.7 million a year ago and fell short of the consensus mark and our estimate of $146 million.
Adjusted EBITDA jumped to $283.5 million in the quarter under review from $99 million a year ago and surpassed our model estimate of $175.8 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 57.5% improved 2,400 basis points year over year.
Total operating expenses increased to $631.7 million from $519.2 million in the year-ago quarter, higher than our estimate of $526.1 million. The year-over-year rise was due to higher net brokerage, exchange, clearance fees and payments for order flow, employee compensation and payroll taxes, and operations and administrative.
Market Making: Adjusted net trading income was $347.9 million in the fourth quarter, up 107.7% year over year and surpassed our estimate of $236.9 million. The segment’s revenues rose 67.5% year over year to $706.5 million, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate and our estimate of $502.6 million.
Execution Services: The unit recorded an adjusted net trading income of $109.8 million in the quarter under review, which grew 17.6% year over year. Also, the metric beat our estimate of $101.5 million. Total revenues of $136.7 million grew 28.3% year over year and surpassed the consensus mark and our estimate of $127.4 million.
Virtu Financial exited the fourth quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $872.5 million, which rose from the 2023-end level of $820.4 million. Total assets of $15.3 billion increased from the $14.5 billion figure at 2023-end.
Long-term borrowings, net, amounted to $1.74 billion, up marginally from the 2023-end level of $1.73 billion. Short-term borrowings totaled $38.5 million.
Total equity of $1.49 billion increased from the $1.41 billion level at 2023-end.
As part of the share repurchase program, Virtu Financial bought back 1.7 million shares worth $57.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. It had a leftover capacity of $423.8 million under its buyback authorization for future purchases.
Virtu Financial announced a cash dividend of 24 cents per share. The dividend will be paid out on March 17, 2024, to shareholders of record as of Feb. 28.
In the past month, investors have witnessed an upward trend in estimates review.
The consensus estimate has shifted 15.46% due to these changes.
At this time, Virtu Financial has a subpar Growth Score of D, however its Momentum Score is doing a lot better with a B. Following the exact same course, the stock was allocated a grade of B on the value side, putting it in the top 40% for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
Estimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise Virtu Financial has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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