Velocity Financial price target raised to $23 from $20 at BTIG

BTIG raised the firm’s price target on Velocity Financial (VEL) to $23 from $20 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares after its Q3 results. The stock’s valuation has remained especially stable against this recent move up in rates, unlike the majority of residential and commercial lenders whose read-thru for forward loan production may be more sensitive to current conditions, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Velocity shares are also reflecting a somewhat “ideal” size/scale for this environment, where it’s become big and established enough to have a book of repeat business, while at the same time there’s easily room for the balance sheet to be bigger, BTIG added.