Northern Trust Corp Grows Stock Holdings in VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC - Free Report) by 40.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 203,322 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 58,765 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.00% of VSE worth $19,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VSEC. Barclays PLC grew its position in VSE by 711.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 40,770 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,374,000 after buying an additional 35,744 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in VSE by 17.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,021 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $581,000 after buying an additional 1,058 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in VSE by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,060 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its position in VSE by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 127,946 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $12,168,000 after buying an additional 8,200 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in VSE during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $493,000. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at VSE

In other news, Director Anita D. Britt sold 2,869 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.38, for a total value of $371,191.22. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $496,431.06. The trade was a 42.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 14.60% of the company's stock.

VSE Price Performance

Shares of VSEC traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $133.69. The stock had a trading volume of 185,119 shares, compared to its average volume of 216,771. VSE Co. has a 12 month low of $73.36 and a 12 month high of $139.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $117.90 and a 200 day moving average of $110.63. 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 $2.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 167.11 and a beta of 1.34.

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

VSE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 16th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VSEC shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of VSE to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of VSE from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. B. Riley upped their price target on shares of VSE from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of VSE from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, VSE presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.17.

VSE Profile

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.