Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Buys New Stake in VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 333,244 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,692,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned 1.63% of VSE as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VSEC. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in VSE during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of VSE during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $155,000. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of VSE in the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in shares of VSE in the fourth quarter worth about $239,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in VSE by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,310 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.54% of the company’s stock.

VSE Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VSEC opened at $116.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 1.15. VSE Co. has a 12 month low of $73.36 and a 12 month high of $128.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 140.52 and a beta of 1.62. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $109.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.71.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The construction company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.17. VSE had a net margin of 1.36% and a return on equity of 7.26%. The business had revenue of $299.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $289.97 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that VSE Co. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. VSE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VSEC shares. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of VSE from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of VSE to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of VSE from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.67.

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.