VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Price Target Raised to $180.00 at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target for VSE from $150.00 to $180.00, indicating a potential upside of 23.24% from the current price.
• VSE reported $0.97 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.69, with quarterly revenues up 41.1% year-over-year.
• Insider activity showed a significant sale by Director Anita D. Britt, who reduced her stake by 42.78%, highlighting possible shifts in investor sentiment.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC - Free Report) had its price objective raised by Royal Bank Of Canada from $150.00 to $180.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the construction company's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on VSEC. B. Riley upped their price objective on VSE from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on VSE from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, VSE currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $145.00.

VSE Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of VSEC stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $156.62. The stock had a trading volume of 100,599 shares, compared to its average volume of 243,715. VSE has a 12-month low of $76.77 and a 12-month high of $161.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 141.02 and a beta of 1.33. The firm's 50-day moving average is $133.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 3.90 and a quick ratio of 2.12.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $272.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $267.39 million. VSE had a return on equity of 7.37% and a net margin of 1.94%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 41.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 EPS. On average, analysts predict that VSE will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VSE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 15th. VSE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Anita D. Britt sold 2,869 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.38, for a total transaction of $371,191.22. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at $496,431.06. This trade represents a 42.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 14.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of VSE

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of VSE by 857.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank lifted its position in shares of VSE by 36.5% in the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 610 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV purchased a new position in shares of VSE in the first quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in VSE by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,449 shares of the construction company's stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in VSE by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,842 shares of the construction company's stock worth $175,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. 91.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.