Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the six brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $803.75.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Elbit Systems from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Elbit Systems from $950.00 to $880.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $845.00 price target on shares of Elbit Systems in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Elbit Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th.

Elbit Systems Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:ESLT opened at $808.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $791.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $797.08. Elbit Systems has a 52-week low of $432.85 and a 52-week high of $1,016.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 26th. The aerospace company reported $3.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by $0.89. Elbit Systems had a net margin of 7.14% and a return on equity of 16.15%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Elbit Systems will post 15.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 23rd. Elbit Systems’s payout ratio is presently 26.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Elbit Systems during the 4th quarter worth $1,493,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 709.3% during the fourth quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 88,075 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $50,948,000 after purchasing an additional 77,192 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 998,267 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $573,131,000 after purchasing an additional 13,406 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 126,864 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,291,000 after purchasing an additional 33,235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 17,235 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $10,202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares in the last quarter. 17.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Elbit Systems Company Profile

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.