Hennessy Advisors Inc. Has $13.77 Million Stock Position in VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC)

Hennessy Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,746 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 13,200 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.56% of VSE worth $13,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VSEC. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of VSE in the 4th quarter valued at $24,018,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in VSE by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 25,727 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,447,000 after purchasing an additional 2,866 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of VSE during the 4th quarter worth about $557,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in VSE by 178.3% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 128,876 shares of the construction company's stock worth $12,256,000 after buying an additional 82,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of VSE by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 13,490 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,283,000 after purchasing an additional 6,965 shares during the period. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VSEC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on VSE from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on VSE from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. B. Riley upped their target price on VSE from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised VSE to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.17.

VSE Stock Performance

Shares of VSE stock traded up $0.43 on Tuesday, reaching $134.45. 136,564 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 220,845. VSE Co. has a 1-year low of $73.36 and a 1-year high of $140.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 3.69. The firm has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 168.06 and a beta of 1.28. The company's 50-day moving average is $123.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.91.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The construction company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.23. VSE had a return on equity of 7.26% and a net margin of 1.36%. The company had revenue of $256.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $248.20 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 57.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that VSE Co. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 16th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 16th. VSE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Anita D. Britt sold 2,869 shares of VSE stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.38, for a total value of $371,191.22. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,837 shares in the company, valued at $496,431.06. The trade was a 42.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 14.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About VSE

VSE Corporation operates as a diversified aftermarket products and services company in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Aviation and Fleet. The Aviation segment provides aftermarket parts supply and distribution; maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for components and engine accessories supporting commercial, business, and general aviation operators.