VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Reaches New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Shares of VSE reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $232.61 (last $228.54) and were up about 4.6% on the day.
• Several analysts lifted targets—B. Riley to $258 and RBC to $250—resulting in a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $229.29 consensus price target.
• VSE beat quarterly estimates (EPS $1.16 vs. $0.88; revenue $301.2M vs. $289.6M), with revenue up 32.4% year-over-year, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.10 (0.2% yield).

Shares of VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $232.61 and last traded at $228.54, with a volume of 351297 shares. The stock had previously closed at $216.64.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of VSE in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on VSE from $208.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on VSE from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of VSE in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $222.00 price objective on VSE in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $229.29.

VSE Trading Up 4.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a PE ratio of 254.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $203.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $188.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 3.76.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The construction company reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $301.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $289.55 million. VSE had a return on equity of 7.60% and a net margin of 1.84%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 32.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. Analysts anticipate that VSE Corporation will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. VSE's payout ratio is currently 44.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of VSE by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 247,417 shares of the construction company's stock worth $41,131,000 after purchasing an additional 58,805 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted 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 worth $10,304,000 after purchasing an additional 55,474 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of VSE by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 394,499 shares of the construction company's stock worth $65,582,000 after purchasing an additional 81,788 shares during the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of VSE during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $887,000. Finally, Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust lifted its holdings in VSE by 2.3% in the third quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 135,516 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $22,528,000 after acquiring an additional 3,100 shares during the last quarter. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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