VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,253,292 shares, a growth of 18.3% from the February 26th total of 1,905,041 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 576,314 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Approximately 8.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

VSE Stock Up 7.1%

VSE stock traded up $11.67 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $177.04. 234,867 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 675,875. VSE has a one year low of $100.53 and a one year high of $231.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $204.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.08. The company has a current ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 198.90, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.34.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The construction company reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $301.18 million during 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 business’s revenue was up 32.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that VSE will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

VSE Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of VSE

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of VSE by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 274,865 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,488,000 after buying an additional 27,448 shares during the period. Ellevest Inc. purchased a new stake in VSE in the fourth quarter worth about $323,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of VSE by 145.7% during 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. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in shares of VSE by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 5,600 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $968,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of VSE by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,207 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.54% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on VSEC. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of VSE from $233.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of VSE in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of VSE in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on VSE from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $222.00 target price on VSE in a report on Friday, January 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.71.

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.