Quest Partners LLC Grows Holdings in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR)

Quest Partners LLC grew its position in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) by 3,851,600.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,517 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,516 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Vector Group were worth $407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VGR. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in Vector Group by 252.3% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 6,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 4,325 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co purchased a new position in Vector Group during the second quarter valued at $110,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vector Group in the 1st quarter worth $112,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in Vector Group in the 2nd quarter worth $116,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 87.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 11,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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.

Vector Group Stock Performance

Shares of Vector Group stock opened at $14.94 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $13.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.64. Vector Group Ltd. has a one year low of $9.27 and a one 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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. Vector Group had a net margin of 14.05% and a negative return on equity of 26.96%. The company had revenue of $371.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.90 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Vector Group Ltd. will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vector Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.35%. Vector Group’s payout ratio is 68.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com started coverage on Vector Group in a research report on Sunday, September 8th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

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.