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

VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,617,919 shares, a decline of 19.4% from the January 15th total of 2,006,688 shares. Approximately 7.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 256,221 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 256,221 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.3 days. Approximately 7.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

VSE Stock Performance

NASDAQ VSEC opened at $202.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 3.94 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $175.74. The company has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a PE ratio of 298.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35. VSE has a 1-year low of $91.55 and a 1-year high of $225.00.

VSE Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of VSE

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its position in shares of VSE by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 394,499 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $65,582,000 after buying an additional 81,788 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in VSE by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 346,390 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $41,563,000 after buying an additional 32,489 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in VSE by 11.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 27,448 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of VSE by 38.3% during the second quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 226,784 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,704,000 after buying an additional 62,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust grew its holdings in VSE by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 135,516 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $22,528,000 after acquiring an additional 3,100 shares in the last quarter. 91.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on VSE from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of VSE from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of VSE in a research report on Monday, December 29th. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on VSE from $208.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on VSE from $215.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, VSE has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.71.

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.