VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC) Short Interest Up 20.9% in October

VSE Co. (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,390,000 shares, an increase of 20.9% from the September 30th total of 1,150,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 178,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.8 days.

VSE Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of VSE stock traded up $1.88 on Monday, hitting $104.80. 168,692 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 143,863. VSE has a one year low of $52.16 and a one year high of $106.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 3.53 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $89.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.32. The company has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.93 and a beta of 1.60.

VSE (NASDAQ:VSEC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The construction company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $265.96 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $256.60 million. VSE had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 1.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that VSE will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

VSE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. VSE's payout ratio is currently 8.75%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Calvin Scott Koonce sold 15,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.83, for a total transaction of $1,404,999.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 463,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,543,369.72. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 14.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VSEC. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of VSE in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of VSE by 1,180.2% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,586 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 2,384 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of VSE in the first quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in shares of VSE in the second quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Finally, Precision Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VSE during the first quarter valued at approximately $280,000. Institutional investors own 91.54% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VSEC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on VSE from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of VSE in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on VSE from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on VSE from $97.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.83.

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.