The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases 1,181 Shares of VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC) by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 8,738 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in VSE were worth $831,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of VSE by 857.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of VSE in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of VSE by 21.7% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,449 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of VSE by 14.5% in the 4th 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. Finally, KFA Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of VSE in the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Institutional investors own 91.54% of the company’s stock.

VSE Trading Down 1.4%

VSE stock opened at $130.70 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.97. 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 has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 163.38 and a beta of 1.34. VSE Co. has a 52 week low of $73.36 and a 52 week high of $136.00.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The construction company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $256.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $248.20 million. VSE had a net margin of 1.36% and a return on equity of 7.26%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 57.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. Analysts expect that VSE Co. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 16th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 16th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.31%. VSE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. B. Riley lifted their price target on VSE from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. StockNews.com upgraded VSE to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on VSE from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on VSE from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other VSE news, Director Anita D. Britt sold 2,869 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.38, for a total transaction of $371,191.22. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,837 shares in the company, valued at $496,431.06. This trade represents a 42.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 14.60% of the company’s stock.

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.