Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG) Hits New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Vishay Precision Group hit a new 52-week high, trading intraday as high as $56.70 and last at about $54.60 on volume of roughly 178,408 shares.
• Analysts are mixed: the stock carries a consensus rating of Hold with a consensus price target of $53.67 (two Buys, one Hold, one Sell), although B. Riley lifted its target to $63.
• Recent fundamentals include a quarterly EPS miss ($0.07 vs. $0.21 est.) despite a revenue beat, a high P/E of 134.53, low debt-to-equity (0.06), and about 87.6% institutional ownership.

Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $56.70 and last traded at $54.6040, with a volume of 178408 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $53.16.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VPG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Vishay Precision Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Lake Street Capital set a $54.00 price target on Vishay Precision Group and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. B. Riley Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $63.00 price target (up from $45.00) on shares of Vishay Precision Group in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research raised Vishay Precision Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Vishay Precision Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $53.67.

Vishay Precision Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 4.47 and a quick ratio of 2.97. The firm has a market cap of $716.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 134.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.12.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vishay Precision Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VPG. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 11.7% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 26,353 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 4.3% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 39,578 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,615 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group during the second quarter worth about $338,000. Sei Investments Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group during the second quarter worth about $218,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 56.4% during the second quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 31,389 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $882,000 after purchasing an additional 11,324 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.61% of the company's stock.

Vishay Precision Group Company Profile

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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