Emerald Advisers LLC Purchases 35,246 Shares of VSE Corporation $VSEC

Emerald Advisers LLC boosted its position in VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC) by 12.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 314,789 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 35,246 shares during the quarter. VSE makes up 1.8% of Emerald Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Emerald Advisers LLC’s holdings in VSE were worth $58,047,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VSEC. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in VSE by 1,331.0% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 59,642 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,304,000 after purchasing an additional 55,474 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $65,582,000 after buying an additional 81,788 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 27,448 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of VSE by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 346,390 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $41,563,000 after buying an additional 32,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of VSE by 56.6% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 50,422 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,050,000 after buying an additional 18,220 shares during the last quarter. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

VSE Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of VSEC stock opened at $205.25 on Tuesday. VSE Corporation has a twelve month low of $125.00 and a twelve month high of $240.56. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $195.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $198.68. The company has a quick ratio of 6.24, a current ratio of 8.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.21.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The construction company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.24. VSE had a return on equity of 6.56% and a net margin of 4.95%.The firm had revenue of $324.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.19 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that VSE Corporation will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VSE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. VSE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.88%.

Insider Transactions at VSE

In related news, COO Benjamin E. Thomas sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.82, for a total value of $1,279,330.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 42,839 shares in the company, valued at $8,431,571.98. This trade represents a 13.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VSEC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $268.00 target price on shares of VSE in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of VSE from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $260.00 price target on shares of VSE in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of VSE from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of VSE in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $241.44.

VSE 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.