Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC Makes New $21.22 Million Investment in VSE Corporation $VSEC

Key Points

• Conestoga Capital Advisors opened a $21.22 million position in VSE, buying 128,827 shares—about 0.46% of the company—during the third quarter.
• VSE reported quarterly EPS of $2.01, beating the $1.76 estimate, while revenue of $541.01 million exceeded forecasts and rose 91.2% year over year.
• Analysts have a consensus Moderate Buy rating and a $253.38 average price target; shares opened at $163.96 in the article’s cited session.

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 128,827 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $21,218,000. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.46% of VSE at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in VSE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in VSE in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of VSE in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in VSE by 163.5% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 303 shares of the construction company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in VSE in the second quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.54% of the company's stock.

VSE Stock Performance

NASDAQ VSEC opened at $163.96 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.77, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $195.50. VSE Corporation has a 12-month low of $138.85 and a 12-month high of $247.85. The company has a market cap of $4.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.55, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.26.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The construction company reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $541.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $512.13 million. VSE had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 6.71%. The business's revenue was up 91.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that VSE Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VSE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 15th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 15th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. VSE's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Cuomo sold 1,566 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.49, for a total transaction of $293,609.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 167,971 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,492,882.79. The trade was a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of VSE in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Zacks Research raised VSE from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on VSE in a research note on Monday, September 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. B. Riley Financial lowered their price objective on VSE from $280.00 to $265.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on VSE in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a "sector weight" rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.38.

About VSE

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.

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