VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Monday,Zacks reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of VSE in a research note on Sunday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on VSE from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup upped their target price on VSE from $263.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of VSE from $245.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 price objective on shares of VSE in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.00.

VSE Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of VSEC stock opened at $167.34 on Monday. VSE has a 12 month low of $154.67 and a 12 month high of $247.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 3.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a PE ratio of 53.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $200.71 and a 200-day moving average of $196.88.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The construction company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.82. The business had revenue of $449.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.03 million. VSE had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 6.71%. VSE’s revenue was up 65.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that VSE will post 6.75 EPS for the current year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. VSE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Cuomo sold 1,566 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.49, for a total transaction of $293,609.34. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 167,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,492,882.79. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VSE

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of VSE during the second quarter worth about $44,103,000. American Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of VSE in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,461,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in VSE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $22,888,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in VSE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $18,721,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in VSE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $16,383,000. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About VSE

VSE Corporation is a diversified provider of aftermarket distribution, maintenance, repair, engineering and logistics services. The company serves U.S. government agencies, defense organizations and commercial customers through specialized operating businesses focused on aviation, fleet management and federal services.

VSE Aviation distributes aircraft parts and related products and provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for engines, components and other aviation systems. Its Fleet segment supports vehicle lifecycle management by supplying parts and providing maintenance, engineering and logistics services for government and commercial fleets.