Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) Earns Strong-Buy Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning. The brokerage issued a strong-buy rating on the stock.

Separately, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Vector Group Price Performance

Shares of Vector Group stock opened at $14.99 on Friday. Vector Group has a 52-week low of $9.27 and a 52-week high of $15.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.77. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 1.04.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vector Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Vector Group by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 46,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vector Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $203,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vector Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $352,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vector Group by 2,284.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 39,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 38,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning grew its position in shares of Vector Group by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 63,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $948,000 after buying an additional 4,711 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.