Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 1,049 Shares of Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its holdings in shares of Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR – Get Rating) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 134,964 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,049 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Vector Group were worth $1,601,000 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. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Vector Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $113,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in Vector Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $139,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Vector Group by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 26,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 4,058 shares during the last quarter. BRR OpCo LLC bought a new stake in Vector Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $488,000. Finally, Insight Folios Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Vector Group by 36.7% in the 4th quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 686,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,147,000 after purchasing an additional 184,596 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Vector Group in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Vector Group Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of VGR stock opened at $11.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 1.04. Vector Group Ltd. has a twelve month low of $8.64 and a twelve month high of $14.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.07.

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 15th. The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $363.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.30 million. Vector Group had a negative return on equity of 19.68% and a net margin of 11.00%. Research analysts predict that Vector Group Ltd. will post 1.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vector Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 17th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.90%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 16th. Vector Group’s payout ratio is 78.43%.

Insider Transactions at Vector Group

In other news, Director Bennett S. Lebow sold 117,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total value of $1,420,260.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 347,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,198,905.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Ronald J. Bernstein sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.15, for a total value of $65,090.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $467,374.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bennett S. Lebow sold 117,474 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total transaction of $1,420,260.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 347,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,198,905.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 11.50% of the company’s stock.

Vector Group Profile

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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.