Franklin Resources Inc. Acquires 24,836 Shares of VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC - Free Report) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 349,957 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,836 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 1.71% of VSE worth $33,281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VSEC. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of VSE by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 163,310 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $13,511,000 after purchasing an additional 20,114 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of VSE by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 7,557 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $625,000 after acquiring an additional 2,307 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in VSE by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,310 shares of the construction company's stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in VSE by 17.2% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 9,054 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in VSE by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 323,830 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,790,000 after buying an additional 15,931 shares during the period. 91.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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VSE Stock Down 3.7 %

NASDAQ VSEC traded down $4.32 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $112.56. The stock had a trading volume of 26,041 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,487. The stock has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of 135.51 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $111.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.66. VSE Co. has a 1 year low of $73.36 and a 1 year high of $128.72. 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 (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The construction company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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. On average, research analysts expect that VSE Co. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

VSE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders 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 0.36%. VSE's payout ratio is 48.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial boosted their price target on VSE from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com raised VSE to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.67.

VSE Company 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.