Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) Stock Position Raised by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) by 27.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 130,525 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,476 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. owned 0.08% of Vector Group worth $1,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Portfolio Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vector Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,000. Financial Counselors Inc. bought a new position in Vector Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $138,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vector Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $158,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in Vector Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Vector Group by 1,028.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 18,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 17,178 shares during the period. 64.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised Vector Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th.

Vector Group Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE VGR opened at $10.57 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $10.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.79. The company has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.11 and a beta of 1.06. Vector Group Ltd. has a 12 month low of $9.27 and a 12 month high of $13.43.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.01). Vector Group had a negative return on equity of 25.89% and a net margin of 12.98%. The firm had revenue of $324.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $333.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Vector Group Ltd. will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.57%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 5th. Vector Group’s payout ratio is presently 68.97%.

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.