Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vector Group (NYSE:VGR - Free Report) in a research report report published on Saturday. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the stock.

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

Vector Group Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:VGR traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $14.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,257,989 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,361,792. Vector Group has a 52 week low of $9.27 and a 52 week high of $15.53. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $12.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.39. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 1.03.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $371.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $362.90 million. Vector Group had a net margin of 14.05% and a negative return on equity of 26.62%. On average, analysts forecast that Vector Group will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vector Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.34%. Vector Group's payout ratio is presently 68.97%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vector Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Optimist Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vector Group in the fourth quarter worth $949,000. Duality Advisers LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vector Group in the first quarter worth $900,000. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vector Group in the first quarter worth $527,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vector Group by 6.4% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,181,224 shares of the company's stock worth $12,946,000 after acquiring an additional 70,685 shares during the period. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $1,431,000 after acquiring an additional 28,476 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.