Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) Short Interest Up 23.0% in July

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vector Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vector Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,868,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,844,000 after buying an additional 283,371 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Vector Group by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,160,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,654,000 after acquiring an additional 90,202 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in Vector Group by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,181,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,946,000 after purchasing an additional 70,685 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Vector Group by 1,098.6% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 190,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,018,000 after purchasing an additional 174,962 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 164,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,850,000 after purchasing an additional 40,900 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

Vector Group Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VGR traded up $0.21 on Tuesday, reaching $12.88. The company had a trading volume of 287,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,210,607. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a PE 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.81.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $324.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vector Group will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.21%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 5th. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.97%.

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.