Market Sentiment on Financial Stocks: Joseph Terranova from Virtus Investment Partners noted that sentiment around financial stocks has worsened due to concerns about debt and credit quality, but he believes Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) is currently oversold and a good investment.
Performance of Apollo Global Management: The Baron FinTech Fund reported that shares of Apollo Global Management detracted in Q1 2025 due to a reversal in economic sentiment and capital market activity, but they continue to hold the stock due to its strong management and focus on credit.
Shift Towards Private Infrastructure: There is a growing interest in private infrastructure investments as an alternative, driven by the lack of funds from government and municipalities, with notable investments from firms like BlackRock.
Comparison with AI Stocks: While Apollo Global is seen as a potential investment, there is a belief that some AI stocks may offer better returns with less risk, prompting a recommendation for investors to explore these options.
Wall Street analysts forecast VRTS stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for VRTS is 181.00 USD with a low forecast of 158.00 USD and a high forecast of 218.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
4 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast VRTS stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for VRTS is 181.00 USD with a low forecast of 158.00 USD and a high forecast of 218.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
1 Buy
1 Hold
2 Sell
Hold
Current: 169.410
Low
158.00
Averages
181.00
High
218.00
Current: 169.410
Low
158.00
Averages
181.00
High
218.00
Piper Sandler
Crispin Love
Overweight
downgrade
$225 -> $218
2025-12-23
Reason
Piper Sandler
Crispin Love
Price Target
$225 -> $218
AI Analysis
2025-12-23
downgrade
Overweight
Reason
Piper Sandler analyst Crispin Love lowered the firm's price target on Virtus Investment to $218 from $225 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares as part of a Q4 preview for the asset management group. Deal activity has begun to recover, but private credit has dominated headlines as investors worry about a potential surge in defaults, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Piper believes the concerns are overstated, saying fundamentals are "solid" with loan- to-value ratios in the 30%-40% range, "providing substantial cushion against losses."
Morgan Stanley
Underweight
downgrade
$173 -> $168
2025-12-17
Reason
Morgan Stanley
Price Target
$173 -> $168
2025-12-17
downgrade
Underweight
Reason
Morgan Stanley lowered the firm's price target on Virtus Investment to $168 from $173 and keeps an Underweight rating on the shares. Flows were softer than expected in Q4 and the firm is lowering its Q4 flow estimate by 30 basis points while cutting Q4 EPS estimates by 5% on average for the Asset Managers it covers, the analyst tells investors in a preview.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for VRTS
Unlock Now
Barclays
Underweight
downgrade
$175 -> $158
2025-12-12
Reason
Barclays
Price Target
$175 -> $158
2025-12-12
downgrade
Underweight
Reason
Barclays lowered the firm's price target on Virtus Investment to $158 from $175 and keeps an Underweight rating on the shares. The firm adjusted targets in the brokers, asset managers and exchanges group as part of its 2026. Market conditions "look constructive" going into 2026, particularly for the alternative asset managers and wealth brokers, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Barclays sees a more mixed outlook for the exchanges and traditional asset managers.
Morgan Stanley
Underweight
maintain
$170 -> $173
2025-10-28
Reason
Morgan Stanley
Price Target
$170 -> $173
2025-10-28
maintain
Underweight
Reason
Morgan Stanley raised the firm's price target on Virtus Investment to $173 from $170 and keeps an Underweight rating on the shares. The firm updated its Q4 and FY26 adjusted EPS estimates following a model refresh post the Q3 report.
About VRTS
Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. provides investment management and related services to institutions and individuals. It offers investment strategies for institutional and individual investors in different investment products and through multiple distribution channels. It provides various asset classes (equity, fixed income, multi-asset and alternatives), geographies (domestic, global, international and emerging), market capitalizations (large, mid and small), styles (growth, core and value) and investment approaches (fundamental and quantitative). Its retail products include open-end funds, closed-end funds and retail separate accounts. Its institutional products are offered to a variety of institutional clients through institutional separate accounts and commingled accounts, including sub advisory services to other investment advisers and its sponsored structured products. Its institutional products are marketed through relationships with consultants as well as directly to clients.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
