VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $186.54 and last traded at $186.75, with a volume of 33115 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $181.32.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VSEC. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of VSE in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup began coverage on VSE in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. B. Riley lifted their target price on VSE from $185.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on VSE in a report on Friday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $201.00 price objective (up from $177.00) on shares of VSE in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.71.

VSE Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 3.94. The company has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 281.46, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $174.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $160.43.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The construction company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.15. VSE had a return on equity of 7.64% and a net margin of 1.23%.The firm had revenue of $282.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $276.48 million. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 38.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that VSE Corporation will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. VSE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.82%.

Institutional Trading of VSE

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VSEC. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in VSE in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of VSE during the 1st quarter worth approximately $247,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of VSE by 946.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,704 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of VSE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $498,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in VSE by 262.1% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,168 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $693,000 after acquiring an additional 3,017 shares during the last quarter. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About VSE

VSE Corporation (NASDAQ: VSEC) is a provider of aftermarket distribution and supply chain management services serving both government and commercial markets. The company’s solutions span a wide range of industries, with particular emphasis on defense, aerospace and transportation. VSE’s core mission is to ensure mission readiness by delivering critical parts, maintenance and technical support for equipment throughout its lifecycle.

Through its Distribution Services segment, VSE sources, markets and distributes replacement parts and components for commercial truck, bus, rail and specialty vehicle applications.