Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR – Get Rating) by 2,277.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 790,526 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 757,272 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.51% of Vector Group worth $6,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VGR. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vector Group by 0.8% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 20,791,985 shares of the company's stock worth $183,177,000 after acquiring an additional 161,136 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,140,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $206,369,000 after purchasing an additional 673,806 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 4.5% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 8,731,963 shares of the company's stock worth $91,686,000 after purchasing an additional 376,700 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Vector Group by 3.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,381,003 shares of the company's stock worth $46,001,000 after buying an additional 131,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Vector Group by 1.9% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,960,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,085,000 after buying an additional 55,907 shares during the last quarter. 62.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vector Group Stock Down 4.5 %

VGR stock opened at $12.00 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.17. Vector Group Ltd. has a 52 week low of $8.64 and a 52 week high of $14.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 1.04.

Vector Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 17th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 16th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.67%. Vector Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised Vector Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 16th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ronald J. Bernstein sold 4,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.15, for a total value of $65,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 33,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $467,374.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Ronald J. Bernstein sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.15, for a total transaction of $65,090.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 33,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $467,374.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bennett S. Lebow sold 175,000 shares of Vector Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.32, for a total transaction of $1,981,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 789,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,940,286.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vector Group Profile

(Get Rating)

Vector Group Ltd. is a holding company, which engages in the distribution of tobacco products. It operates through the following segments: Tobacco, Real Estate, and Corporate and Other. The Tobacco segment consists of the manufacturing and sale of cigarettes. The Real Estate segment includes the acquisition and investments in real estate properties and projects.

Read More

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