Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the stock.

Separately, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Vector Group Price Performance

Shares of VGR stock opened at $14.99 on Wednesday. Vector Group has a 1 year low of $9.27 and a 1 year high of $15.53. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 1.04.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. Vector Group had a negative return on equity of 26.96% and a net margin of 14.05%. The business had revenue of $371.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $362.90 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vector Group will post 1.22 EPS for the current year.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.34%. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Algert Global LLC boosted its position in Vector Group by 72.9% during the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 691,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,304,000 after buying an additional 291,404 shares during the period. Optimist Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vector Group in the 4th quarter worth about $949,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its stake in Vector Group by 78.6% in the 2nd quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 666,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,046,000 after purchasing an additional 293,338 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Vector Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $900,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC bought a new stake in Vector Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $527,000. Institutional investors own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

About Vector Group

Vector Group Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States. It operates in two segments, Tobacco and Real Estate. The company produces cigarettes under the Montego, EAGLE 20’s, Pyramid, Grand Prix, Liggett Select, Eve, and USA brand names, as well as various partner and private label brands.