Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) Stock Price

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) had its target price upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $245.00 to $260.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the construction company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price points to a potential upside of 19.17% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on VSEC. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $275.00 target price on shares of VSE in a research report on Sunday. Zacks Research raised VSE from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of VSE in a report on Friday. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of VSE in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of VSE from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.22.

VSE Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VSEC opened at $218.18 on Monday. VSE has a twelve month low of $152.55 and a twelve month high of $240.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $204.80 and its 200-day moving average is $199.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 3.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.93, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.23.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The construction company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.82. VSE had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 6.71%. The business had revenue of $449.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.03 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.97 EPS. VSE’s quarterly revenue was up 65.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that VSE will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at VSE

In related news, COO Benjamin E. Thomas sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.82, for a total transaction of $1,279,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 42,839 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,431,571.98. This represents a 13.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of VSE by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 314,789 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $58,047,000 after acquiring an additional 35,246 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new position in VSE in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,276,000. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust grew its holdings in VSE by 16.4% during the first quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 195,915 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,127,000 after purchasing an additional 27,563 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in VSE by 58.8% in the first quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 7,927 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after buying an additional 2,934 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp purchased a new stake in VSE in the second quarter worth $4,527,000. 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.