Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) Shares Bought by Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC

Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC grew its stake in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) by 78.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 666,609 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 293,338 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC owned approximately 0.42% of Vector Group worth $7,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Vector Group by 70.1% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 90,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after buying an additional 37,408 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Vector Group by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,160,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,654,000 after purchasing an additional 90,202 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Vector Group during the fourth quarter worth $276,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Vector Group by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 36,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP boosted its position in Vector Group by 113.7% during the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 25,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 13,595 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on VGR shares. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Vector Group in a research report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Vector Group Stock Performance

VGR stock opened at $14.94 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $13.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.65. The firm has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.04. Vector Group Ltd. has a 1 year low of $9.27 and a 1 year high of $15.53.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $371.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.90 million. Vector Group had a negative return on equity of 26.96% and a net margin of 14.05%. On average, research analysts predict that Vector Group Ltd. will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.