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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VSEC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of VSE from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of VSE to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on VSE from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $118.67.

VSE Stock Up 1.2 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $102.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.12. 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 $2.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 143.89 and a beta of 1.62.

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

VSE Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On VSE

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Castleark Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of VSE in the 4th quarter valued at $7,245,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in VSE by 53.0% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 32,202 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,062,000 after acquiring an additional 11,153 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of VSE by 148.6% in the fourth quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 112,840 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,731,000 after acquiring an additional 67,452 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of VSE during the fourth quarter worth about $3,328,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in shares of VSE in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,157,000. Institutional investors own 91.54% of the company’s stock.

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.