Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG) Hits New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Vishay Precision Group hit a new 52-week high intraday at $63.90 (last $63.18), rising about 6.5% on roughly 56,806 shares traded.
• Analysts are mixed — the stock carries a consensus Hold rating with an average target of $53.67, while two firms rate it Buy, one Hold and one Sell; B. Riley raised its target to $63 and Weiss cut to Sell.
• Company fundamentals are mixed: it missed EPS ($0.07 vs. $0.21 expected) but beat revenue, trades at a high P/E of 160.46, has strong liquidity and low debt (current ratio 4.47, debt/equity 0.06), and about 87.6% of shares are held by institutions.

Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $63.90 and last traded at $63.1760, with a volume of 56806 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $60.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vishay Precision Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Vishay Precision Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $63.00 price objective (up from $45.00) on shares of Vishay Precision Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vishay Precision Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Lake Street Capital set a $54.00 price target on Vishay Precision Group and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $53.67.

Vishay Precision Group Stock Up 6.5%

The company has a market capitalization of $850.07 million, a P/E ratio of 160.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $47.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.57. The company has a quick ratio of 2.97, a current ratio of 4.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $80.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $78.08 million. Vishay Precision Group had a net margin of 1.72% and a return on equity of 2.16%. On average, research analysts predict that Vishay Precision Group, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vishay Precision Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Acuitas Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Vishay Precision Group by 1,319.6% in the third quarter. Acuitas Investments LLC now owns 1,012,976 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $32,466,000 after acquiring an additional 941,622 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vishay Precision Group in the 4th quarter worth about $9,822,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vishay Precision Group in the 4th quarter worth about $9,732,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Vishay Precision Group by 120.7% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 311,377 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $11,988,000 after purchasing an additional 170,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Vishay Precision Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,904,000. 87.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vishay Precision Group

Vishay Precision Group NYSE: VPG specializes in the design, manufacture and calibration of precision sensors, instrumentation and measurement systems used in a broad range of applications. Its product portfolio includes load cells, tension links, weighing modules, torque transducers, digital indicators and data acquisition systems. These solutions serve critical requirements for accuracy, reliability and repeatability in sectors such as industrial automation, test and measurement, medical devices, food and beverage processing, aerospace and defense.

The company traces its roots to the sensor and measurement division of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc, from which it was spun off as an independent public company in March 2016.

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