VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume After Dividend Announcement

VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. Approximately 321,695 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 48% from the previous session’s volume of 217,156 shares.The stock last traded at $127.99 and had previously closed at $127.28.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 16th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 16th. VSE’s payout ratio is 48.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on VSEC shares. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of VSE from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on VSE from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of VSE to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, B. Riley lifted their target price on shares of VSE from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.17.

VSE Stock Down 1.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 3.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $116.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.36. The company has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 155.59 and a beta of 1.34.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The construction company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.23. VSE had a return on equity of 7.26% and a net margin of 1.36%. The company had revenue of $256.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. VSE’s revenue for the quarter was up 57.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that VSE Co. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of VSE by 711.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 40,770 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,374,000 after purchasing an additional 35,744 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of VSE in the 4th quarter worth approximately $493,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of VSE by 121.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 325,121 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,801,000 after buying an additional 178,435 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of VSE by 17.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,021 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $581,000 after acquiring an additional 1,058 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in VSE by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 15,955 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,517,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the period. 91.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.