VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Lowered to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

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

VSEC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of VSE from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 target price on shares of VSE in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on VSE from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on VSE from $245.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on VSE from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.67.

VSE Stock Up 9.3%

VSE stock opened at $241.82 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a PE ratio of 77.51, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.23. VSE has a 12-month low of $154.67 and a 12-month high of $242.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $206.85 and its 200 day moving average is $200.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 3.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The construction company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.82. VSE had a return on equity of 6.71% and a net margin of 6.17%.The firm had revenue of $449.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $425.03 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 65.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that VSE will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VSE Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at VSE

In other news, COO Benjamin E. Thomas sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.82, for a total value of $1,279,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 42,839 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,431,571.98. This trade represents a 13.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of VSE

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VSEC. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its holdings in VSE by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 314,789 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $58,047,000 after buying an additional 35,246 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new stake in shares of VSE during the 1st quarter valued at $1,276,000. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust raised its position in shares of VSE by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 195,915 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,127,000 after buying an additional 27,563 shares in the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of VSE by 58.8% during the 1st quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 7,927 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 2,934 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp bought a new stake in shares of VSE during the 2nd quarter worth $4,527,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.54% of the company’s stock.

VSE Company Profile

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.