Victory Capital Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) by 2.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 713,851 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,294 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.45% of Vector Group worth $7,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VGR. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Vector Group by 252.3% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 6,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 4,325 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Vector Group during the second quarter worth $110,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vector Group during the first quarter valued at $112,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in Vector Group in the second quarter valued at $116,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in Vector Group by 87.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 11,773 shares of the company’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 5,503 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

Vector Group Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE VGR opened at $14.94 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $13.40 and a 200 day moving average of $11.65. Vector Group Ltd. has a twelve month low of $9.27 and a twelve month high of $15.53.

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

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.35%. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VGR shares. StockNews.com began coverage on Vector Group in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. 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 report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Vector Group 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.