Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Stock Price

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) had its price objective raised by Royal Bank Of Canada from $220.00 to $225.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the construction company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on VSEC. Zacks Research downgraded VSE from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of VSE in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of VSE in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of VSE from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, B. Riley Financial dropped their price target on shares of VSE from $280.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $254.00.

VSE Trading Up 4.9%

Shares of VSEC stock traded up $8.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $172.81. 658,205 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 543,367. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 3.77 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $173.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $195.06. VSE has a 52-week low of $138.85 and a 52-week high of $247.85.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The construction company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $541.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $512.13 million. VSE had a return on equity of 6.71% and a net margin of 6.17%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 91.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that VSE will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 29th. Investors of record on Friday, January 15th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 15th. VSE’s payout ratio is currently 9.05%.

Insider Transactions at VSE

In related news, CEO John Cuomo sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.49, for a total transaction of $4,243,575.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 169,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,111,027.13. This represents a 9.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VSE

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in VSE by 424.3% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 44,208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,281,000 after purchasing an additional 35,776 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in VSE by 81.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 32,967 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,430,000 after buying an additional 14,759 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in VSE by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 6,244 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,028,000 after buying an additional 2,163 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in VSE during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in VSE by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,178 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. 91.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

VSE Company Profile

VSE Corporation is a diversified provider of aftermarket distribution, maintenance, repair, overhaul, engineering, logistics and other sustainment services for government and commercial customers. The company supports complex assets and supply chains, with activities spanning aviation, defense, transportation and fleet markets.

Through its aviation businesses, VSE distributes aircraft parts and provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for commercial, general aviation, business and government aircraft.