VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Upgraded by Truist Financial to Strong-Buy Rating

Truist Financial upgraded shares of VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Friday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on VSEC. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of VSE from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of VSE from $261.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of VSE from $250.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of VSE from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, B. Riley Financial upped their target price on shares of VSE from $208.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $225.00.

VSE Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of VSEC traded down $0.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $170.91. 593,031 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 493,811. The company has a market cap of $4.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 192.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.25. VSE has a fifty-two week low of $112.50 and a fifty-two week high of $232.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 3.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $199.51 and its 200-day moving average is $189.97.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $301.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.55 million. VSE had a net margin of 1.84% and a return on equity of 7.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 32.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that VSE will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VSE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 15th. VSE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VSE

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in VSE by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,207 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in VSE by 4.7% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 10,485 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in VSE by 47.4% in 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, Ellevest Inc. purchased a new position in VSE in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $323,000. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.