VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC) Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,067 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in VSE were worth $1,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. AltraVue Capital LLC acquired a new stake in VSE during the 2nd quarter valued at $48,343,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in VSE by 121.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 325,121 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,801,000 after buying an additional 178,435 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new stake in VSE in the 3rd quarter worth about $11,016,000. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new stake in VSE during the 3rd quarter worth about $8,437,000. Finally, Ghisallo Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in VSE during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,414,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VSEC has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of VSE to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. B. Riley lifted their target price on shares of VSE from $120.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of VSE from $115.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on VSE from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on VSE from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.50.

VSE Stock Performance

VSEC opened at $93.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 3.69. The company has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a PE ratio of 20.86 and a beta of 1.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $109.27 and a 200-day moving average of $95.65. VSE Co. has a 52-week low of $57.10 and a 52-week high of $123.92.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The construction company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.08. VSE had a return on equity of 7.26% and a net margin of 1.36%. The firm had revenue of $273.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $270.88 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that VSE Co. will post 2.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 23rd. VSE’s dividend payout ratio is 8.91%.

VSE Company Profile

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.