Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) Stock Holdings Increased by Quest Partners LLC

Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR - Free Report) by 3,851,600.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,517 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 38,516 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC's holdings in Vector Group were worth $407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Vector Group by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,868,987 shares of the company's stock worth $195,844,000 after buying an additional 283,371 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Vector Group by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,160,725 shares of the company's stock worth $35,654,000 after purchasing an additional 90,202 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vector Group by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,181,224 shares of the company's stock worth $12,946,000 after purchasing an additional 70,685 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Vector Group by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 357,738 shares of the company's stock worth $3,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Vector Group by 1,098.6% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 190,888 shares of the company's stock worth $2,018,000 after purchasing an additional 174,962 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.09% of the company's stock.

Vector Group Stock Performance

Shares of VGR stock traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $14.94. 2,180,858 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,414,229. Vector Group Ltd. has a 12 month low of $9.27 and a 12 month high of $15.53. The company has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.04. The company's 50 day moving average price is $13.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.64.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. Vector Group had a net margin of 14.05% and a negative return on equity of 26.96%. The company had revenue of $371.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $362.90 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vector Group Ltd. will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Vector Group Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VGR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Vector Group in a research report on Sunday, September 8th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th.

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.