Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Holdings in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,216,060 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 103,633 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 2.04% of Vector Group worth $33,993,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in Vector Group by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 183,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,944,000 after buying an additional 935 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Vector Group by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 357,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Vector Group by 3.0% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 39,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $420,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vector Group by 8.3% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $171,000 after buying an additional 1,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vector Group by 3.1% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 44,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after buying an additional 1,346 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

Vector Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VGR opened at $14.92 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $14.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.98. Vector Group Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $9.27 and a fifty-two week high of $15.53. The company has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.86 and a beta of 1.04.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. Vector Group had a negative return on equity of 26.96% and a net margin of 14.05%. The business 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 year.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.36%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Vector Group in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating for the company. 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.

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.