Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 22,775 Shares of Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE:VGR) by 3.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 639,354 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,775 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Vector Group were worth $9,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VGR. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vector Group by 78.6% in the 2nd quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 666,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,046,000 after purchasing an additional 293,338 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vector Group by 72.9% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 691,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,304,000 after purchasing an additional 291,404 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Vector Group by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,868,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,844,000 after acquiring an additional 283,371 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Vector Group by 2.5% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 8,309,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,829,000 after purchasing an additional 198,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Vector Group by 1,098.6% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 190,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,018,000 after buying an additional 174,962 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.09% of the company’s stock.

Vector Group Stock Performance

VGR stock opened at $14.99 on Tuesday. Vector Group Ltd. has a one year low of $9.27 and a one year high of $15.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $14.96 and its 200 day moving average is $13.07. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a PE ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 1.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Vector Group from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vector Group in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “strong-buy” rating on the stock.

About Vector Group

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.