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

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) in a research note released on Monday morning. The firm issued a strong-buy rating on the stock.

Separately, Barclays upped their price objective 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 VGR opened at $14.99 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $14.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.90. Vector Group has a twelve month low of $9.27 and a twelve month high of $15.53. The stock has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a PE ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 1.04.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Vector Group by 58.4% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 104,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,145,000 after buying an additional 38,522 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its stake in Vector Group by 3.5% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 115,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,267,000 after buying an additional 3,942 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Vector Group in the first quarter worth approximately $175,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Vector Group by 9.4% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 47,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,000 after buying an additional 4,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vector Group by 7.5% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 29,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 2,020 shares in the last quarter. 64.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.