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

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 333,244 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $31,692,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned approximately 1.63% of VSE as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VSEC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of VSE by 4.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,310 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of VSE by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc. now owns 8,753 shares of the construction company's stock worth $832,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of VSE by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 3,223 shares of the construction company's stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of VSE by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,021 shares of the construction company's stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of VSE during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.54% of the company's stock.

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VSE Trading Up 1.9 %

VSEC stock traded up $2.35 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $124.18. 54,887 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 195,102. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.57 billion, a PE ratio of 149.58 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business's 50 day moving average price is $109.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.48. VSE Co. has a 52-week low of $73.36 and a 52-week high of $128.72.

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

VSE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.32%. VSE's payout ratio is 48.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on VSEC. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of VSE from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on VSE from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised VSE to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $118.67.

VSE Profile

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.