Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG) Shares Climb 4.2% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• VPG shares rose 4.2% to about $71.45 in mid-day trading, although volume was 94% below the average session level.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is “Hold” with an average price target of $82.33, while B. Riley maintained a Buy rating despite lowering its target to $105.
• The company missed quarterly expectations, reporting $0.04 in EPS versus $0.19 expected and revenue of $83.94 million versus $87.44 million; its elevated P/E ratio of 243.23 adds to valuation concerns.

Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report) shares rose 4.2% during mid-day trading on Friday. The stock traded as high as $71.90 and last traded at $71.4480. 25,804 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 442,909 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.57.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VPG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. B. Riley Financial reduced their price objective on Vishay Precision Group from $109.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vishay Precision Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vishay Precision Group from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Vishay Precision Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vishay Precision Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.33.

Vishay Precision Group Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.72, a current ratio of 4.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market cap of $972.51 million, a P/E ratio of 243.23, a P/E/G ratio of 5.92 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $74.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.71.

Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.15). Vishay Precision Group had a net margin of 1.20% and a return on equity of 1.77%. The firm had revenue of $83.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.44 million. On average, analysts forecast that Vishay Precision Group, Inc. will post 0.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vishay Precision Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Roubaix Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vishay Precision Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,989,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Vishay Precision Group in the second quarter worth $2,720,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vishay Precision Group during the second quarter valued at $4,042,000. Bastion Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Vishay Precision Group by 31.0% during the first quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. now owns 224,196 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $9,813,000 after purchasing an additional 53,102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Vishay Precision Group by 71.3% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 167,086 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $7,255,000 after purchasing an additional 69,573 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.61% of the company's stock.

Vishay Precision Group Company Profile

Vishay Precision Group, Inc NYSE: VPG is a global developer, manufacturer and supplier of precision measurement and sensing technologies. The company serves customers that require accurate measurement of force, weight, pressure, torque and other physical parameters in industrial and commercial applications.

VPG's products include strain gages, load cells, force and torque sensors, pressure sensors, weighing systems and related measurement instrumentation. Its solutions are used in areas such as industrial automation, process control, transportation, aerospace, medical equipment and consumer products.

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