Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the stock.

Separately, Barclays increased their price objective on Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Vector Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Vector Group stock opened at $14.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.00. The stock 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.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $362.90 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vector Group will post 1.22 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vector Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Algert Global LLC grew its stake in shares of Vector Group by 72.9% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 691,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,304,000 after purchasing an additional 291,404 shares during the period. Optimist Retirement Group LLC acquired a new position in Vector Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $949,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its stake in Vector Group by 78.6% in the second quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 666,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,046,000 after purchasing an additional 293,338 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP acquired a new stake in Vector Group in the first quarter worth $900,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Vector Group during the first quarter worth $527,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

About Vector Group

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.