Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) Sets New 52-Week Low at $9.80

Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $9.80 and last traded at $9.85, with a volume of 158959 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TheStreet cut Vector Group from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Vector Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 26th.

Vector Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.63 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.81.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $360.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $357.60 million. Vector Group had a negative return on equity of 24.93% and a net margin of 12.89%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vector Group Ltd. will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vector Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Vector Group’s payout ratio is 68.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 95.7% in the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 534,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,686,000 after buying an additional 261,358 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Vector Group by 24.2% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,249,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,291,000 after acquiring an additional 243,214 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vector Group by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 822,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,747,000 after purchasing an additional 101,171 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in Vector Group by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 61,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 10,790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 438,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,666,000 after buying an additional 56,538 shares in the last quarter. 64.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vector Group Company Profile

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.