VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,910,000 shares, a drop of 21.1% from the April 30th total of 2,420,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 278,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.9 days. Currently, 11.0% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Anita D. Britt sold 2,869 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at $496,431.06. This trade represents a 42.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 14.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VSE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of VSE by 711.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 40,770 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,374,000 after purchasing an additional 35,744 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in VSE during the 4th quarter worth $493,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in VSE by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 928,617 shares of the construction company's stock worth $88,311,000 after acquiring an additional 104,868 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of VSE by 72.7% in the 4th quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 6,024 shares of the construction company's stock worth $573,000 after buying an additional 2,535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its stake in VSE by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 182,673 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,372,000 after acquiring an additional 12,592 shares during the period. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

VSE Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of VSEC stock traded up $0.69 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $131.85. 148,401 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 219,691. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $120.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.97. VSE has a 1-year low of $73.36 and a 1-year high of $139.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a PE ratio of 164.81 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

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

VSE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 16th will be given 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 payout ratio is presently 50.00%.

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.