Quest Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR)

Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) by 3,851,600.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,517 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,516 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Vector Group were worth $407,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Vector Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,868,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,844,000 after purchasing an additional 283,371 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew 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 buying an additional 90,202 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vector Group by 6.4% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Vector Group by 0.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 357,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,781,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Vector Group by 1,098.6% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 190,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,018,000 after acquiring an additional 174,962 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

Vector Group Stock Up 0.2 %

VGR stock opened at $14.94 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.04. Vector Group Ltd. has a 52 week low of $9.27 and a 52 week high of $15.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $13.40 and a 200 day moving average of $11.64.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $371.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $362.90 million. Vector Group had a net margin of 14.05% and a negative return on equity of 26.96%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vector Group Ltd. will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VGR. Barclays upped their price target on Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Vector Group in a research report on Sunday, September 8th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.

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.