Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $550.3333.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ESLT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Elbit Systems from $530.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Elbit Systems in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $531.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Elbit Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Elbit Systems in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Elbit Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th.

Elbit Systems Trading Down 0.9%

NASDAQ ESLT opened at $674.20 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $612.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $526.67. Elbit Systems has a 12 month low of $294.99 and a 12 month high of $740.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $29.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.22.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The aerospace company reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.99 billion. Elbit Systems had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 15.04%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Elbit Systems will post 8.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. Elbit Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in Elbit Systems by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 7,889 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,558,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 11.2% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 209 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Elbit Systems by 1.1% during the third quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $950,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Elbit Systems by 2.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,193 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $608,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in Elbit Systems by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 466 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 17.88% of the company’s stock.

About Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israel-based defense electronics company that designs, develops and supplies a broad range of systems for military, homeland security and commercial aviation customers. The company focuses on integrated, platform-level solutions that combine sensors, communications, command-and-control software and weapons integration to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), force protection and mission management.

Its product and service portfolio spans unmanned aircraft systems, electro-optic and signal intelligence systems, electronic warfare and communications equipment, avionics and mission systems for military and commercial aircraft, and land and naval systems.