VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $123.97 and last traded at $118.29, with a volume of 24297 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $117.57.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VSEC shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of VSE from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on VSE from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised VSE to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.67.

VSE Trading Up 1.2 %

The firm has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 143.89 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $102.98 and a 200-day moving average of $101.12.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The construction company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $299.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.97 million. VSE had a return on equity of 7.26% and a net margin of 1.36%. Research analysts anticipate that VSE Co. will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

VSE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. VSE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.19%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VSEC. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of VSE by 857.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in VSE during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of VSE by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,449 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of VSE in the third quarter valued at approximately $155,000. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of VSE by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,842 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $175,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. 91.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About VSE

VSE Corporation operates as a diversified aftermarket products and services company in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Aviation and Fleet. The Aviation segment provides aftermarket parts supply and distribution; maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for components and engine accessories supporting commercial, business, and general aviation operators.