Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Price technical: Vishay Precision Group shares passed above their 200‑day moving average
• Analyst sentiment: Analysts are split (two Buy, two Sell) with an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.67, while recent targets range from $44 to $63 and several firms have cut ratings.
• Fundamentals and ownership: The company reported an EPS miss ($0.07 vs. $0.21 est.), has a high P/E (~116.7) but strong liquidity (current ratio 4.47), and about 87.6% of shares are held by institutions.

Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $39.93 and traded as high as $46.87. Vishay Precision Group shares last traded at $46.69, with a volume of 173,044 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VPG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Vishay Precision Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. 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. Loop Capital set a $44.00 price objective on Vishay Precision Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research cut Vishay Precision Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Vishay Precision Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vishay Precision Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.67.

Vishay Precision Group Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $46.00 and a 200-day moving average of $39.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $620.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.73, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.89. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.07 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $78.08 million. Vishay Precision Group had a return on equity of 2.16% and a net margin of 1.72%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vishay Precision Group, Inc. will post 0.9 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vishay Precision Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Vishay Precision Group during the fourth quarter worth $9,732,000. Connective Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vishay Precision Group during the fourth quarter worth $458,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Vishay Precision Group by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 30,927 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,191,000 after buying an additional 1,833 shares in the last quarter. Grand Central Investment Group purchased a new position in Vishay Precision Group during the fourth quarter worth $1,831,000. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Vishay Precision Group during the fourth quarter worth $742,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.61% of the company's stock.

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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