Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG) Shares Up 7.5% – Should You Buy?

Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG)’s stock price was up 7.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $46.90 and last traded at $47.02. Approximately 184,465 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 191,927 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vishay Precision Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on Vishay Precision Group in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vishay Precision Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Loop Capital set a $44.00 price objective on shares of Vishay Precision Group in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vishay Precision Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.83.

Vishay Precision Group Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $612.01 million, a P/E ratio of 77.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $37.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.19. The company has a quick ratio of 2.71, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $79.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $76.63 million. Vishay Precision Group had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 2.02%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vishay Precision Group, Inc. will post 0.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vishay Precision Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 2,638.2% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 931 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 897 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Vishay Precision Group by 826.7% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,112 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 992 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Vishay Precision Group in the 4th quarter worth about $75,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,332 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Vishay Precision Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $80,000. 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.