VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 1,355,857 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 224% from the previous session’s volume of 418,733 shares.The stock last traded at $192.0490 and had previously closed at $190.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VSEC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on VSE from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their price target on VSE from $215.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on VSE from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. B. Riley upped their price objective on shares of VSE from $208.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of VSE in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, VSE has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.71.

VSE Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 3.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.37 billion, a PE ratio of 278.70, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $188.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $172.55.

VSE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th were issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 15th. VSE’s dividend payout ratio is 58.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VSEC. Fred Alger Management LLC increased its stake in shares of VSE by 26.2% during the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 394,499 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $65,582,000 after purchasing an additional 81,788 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC lifted its stake in VSE by 38.3% in the 2nd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 226,784 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,704,000 after buying an additional 62,849 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust boosted its holdings in VSE by 86.4% in the 2nd quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 132,416 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,344,000 after buying an additional 61,392 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in VSE by 31.2% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 247,417 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $41,131,000 after buying an additional 58,805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in VSE by 1,331.0% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 59,642 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,304,000 after buying an additional 55,474 shares in the last quarter. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.