Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) Short Interest Update

Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,890,000 shares, a drop of 22.7% from the August 15th total of 6,330,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,990,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days. Currently, 3.7% of the company's stock are short sold.

Vector Group Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:VGR traded up $0.03 on Friday, reaching $14.94. 2,180,858 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,414,229. The company has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.04. Vector Group has a 12 month low of $9.27 and a 12 month high of $15.53. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $13.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.65.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $371.91 million during 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 analysts anticipate that Vector Group will post 1.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.35%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Vector Group's payout ratio is presently 68.97%.

Institutional Trading of Vector Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Optimist Retirement Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vector Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $949,000. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of Vector Group in the first quarter worth approximately $900,000. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vector Group in the first quarter worth approximately $527,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 70,685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 3,851,600.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 38,517 shares of the company's stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 38,516 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price target 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. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Vector Group in a research note on Sunday, September 8th. They set a "buy" rating for the company.

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.