VSE Corporation $VSEC is Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust's 7th Largest Position

Key Points

• Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust increased its VSE Corp. stake by 16.4% in the first quarter, making VSE its 7th largest holding. The fund now owns 195,915 shares worth about $36.1 million.
• VSE reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.17 beating estimates by $0.24 and revenue of $324.58 million topping expectations. Revenue rose 26.8% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 4.3.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share, payable July 29, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Buy rating and a target price of $241.44. Separately, COO Benjamin E. Thomas sold 6,500 shares in June.

Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust increased its stake in shares of VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC - Free Report) by 16.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 195,915 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,563 shares during the quarter. VSE makes up approximately 1.8% of Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust's portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust owned about 0.70% of VSE worth $36,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fred Alger Management LLC increased its stake in VSE by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 394,499 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $65,582,000 after buying an additional 81,788 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in VSE by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 346,390 shares of the construction company's stock worth $41,563,000 after buying an additional 32,489 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of VSE by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 274,865 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $47,488,000 after buying an additional 27,448 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of VSE by 1,331.0% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 59,642 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $10,304,000 after acquiring an additional 55,474 shares in the last quarter. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at VSE

In other VSE news, COO Benjamin E. Thomas sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 42,839 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,431,571.98. This trade represents a 13.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

VSE Stock Performance

Shares of VSEC opened at $205.25 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 86.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.21. VSE Corporation has a one year low of $125.00 and a one year high of $240.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 8.78 and a quick ratio of 6.24. The company's fifty day moving average price is $195.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.68.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The construction company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $324.58 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $309.19 million. VSE had a net margin of 4.95% and a return on equity of 6.56%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that VSE Corporation will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

VSE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. VSE's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VSEC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded VSE from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Truist Financial upgraded VSE to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded VSE from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on VSE from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $260.00 price target on VSE in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $241.44.

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.

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