Short Interest in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) Expands By 23.0%

Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,380,000 shares, a growth of 23.0% from the June 30th total of 6,000,000 shares. Currently, 5.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,450,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.1 days.

Vector Group Stock Performance

VGR traded up $0.10 on Tuesday, reaching $12.77. The company had a trading volume of 55,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,209,156. The company has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.89 and a beta of 1.03. Vector Group has a 52-week low of $9.27 and a 52-week high of $13.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.81.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $324.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $333.30 million. Vector Group had a negative return on equity of 25.89% and a net margin of 12.98%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vector Group will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.26%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 5th. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Vector Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VGR. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 252.3% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 6,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 4,325 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Vector Group in the second quarter worth approximately $110,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vector Group in the first quarter worth approximately $112,000. Private Portfolio Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vector Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $113,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 87.8% in the first 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 last quarter. 64.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.