Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) in a research report report published on Friday morning. The brokerage issued a strong-buy rating on the stock.

Separately, Barclays boosted their price objective on Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Vector Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VGR opened at $14.99 on Friday. Vector Group has a twelve month low of $9.27 and a twelve month high of $15.53. The company has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a PE ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.80 and its 200 day moving average is $12.33.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $371.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.90 million. Vector Group had a net margin of 14.05% and a negative return on equity of 26.96%. Equities research analysts predict that Vector Group will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vector Group Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vector Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VGR. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vector Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,585,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,366,000 after acquiring an additional 74,550 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vector Group by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 36,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in Vector Group by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 73,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 4,701 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 55.7% during the first quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 35,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 12,601 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vector Group by 27.9% in the first quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 130,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,431,000 after buying an additional 28,476 shares during the last quarter. 64.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vector Group Company Profile

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.