VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Technical breakout: VSE shares crossed above their 200‑day moving average of $188.05, trading as high as $224.79 on Wednesday with about 335,619 shares changing hands.
• Analysts have a consensus Moderate Buy on VSE with an average target of $229.29 (eight Buys, one Hold), while individual targets vary from Citigroup’s $230 to B. Riley’s $258.
• Fundamentals showed strength as VSE beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.16 vs. $0.88) and revenue rose 32.4% y/y to $301.18M; the company has a market cap of ~$6.3B, a high P/E of 252.4, and declared a $0.10 quarterly dividend (≈0.2% yield).

Shares of VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $188.05 and traded as high as $224.79. VSE shares last traded at $224.64, with a volume of 335,619 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on VSEC. Citigroup reduced their target price on VSE from $261.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Truist Financial set a $222.00 target price on VSE in a report on Friday, January 9th. B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on VSE from $208.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of VSE in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of VSE in a report on Monday, December 29th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $229.29.

VSE Trading Up 1.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $6.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 252.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $203.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $188.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 3.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

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

VSE Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of VSE

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of VSE by 145.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 258 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of VSE in the first quarter valued at about $247,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of VSE by 946.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704 shares in the last quarter. Ellevest Inc. bought a new stake in shares of VSE in the fourth quarter valued at about $323,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of VSE by 262.1% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,168 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $693,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017 shares in the last quarter. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About VSE

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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