Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its stake in shares of Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 76,314 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,718 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Vector Group were worth $861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Vector Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $748,000. Financial Counselors Inc. acquired a new position in Vector Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $138,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vector Group by 1,028.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 18,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 17,178 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vector Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $289,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Vector Group by 57.7% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 57,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $654,000 after purchasing an additional 21,195 shares in the last quarter. 64.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vector Group Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of VGR opened at $10.27 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $10.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.79. Vector Group Ltd. has a 52-week low of $9.80 and a 52-week high of $13.43. The firm has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 1.02.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $357.60 million. Vector Group had a negative return on equity of 24.93% and a net margin of 12.89%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vector Group Ltd. will post 1.24 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, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. Vector Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.