VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Shares Gap Up After Earnings Beat

VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $101.00, but opened at $110.62. VSE shares last traded at $113.51, with a volume of 28,903 shares traded.

The construction company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.17. VSE had a return on equity of 7.26% and a net margin of 1.36%. The company had revenue of $299.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.97 million.

VSE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 23rd. VSE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VSEC. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of VSE from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on VSE from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded VSE to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, B. Riley increased their price target on VSE from $120.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, VSE currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VSE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in VSE by 857.1% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in VSE during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of 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. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of VSE in the third quarter valued at about $155,000. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of VSE by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,842 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $175,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.54% of the company’s stock.

VSE Trading Up 16.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business’s 50-day moving average is $100.01 and its 200 day moving average is $99.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.82 and a beta of 1.61.

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.