Elbit Systems Ltd. $ESLT Holdings Trimmed by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC reduced its position in shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) by 76.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,933 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 28,558 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Elbit Systems were worth $5,161,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Elbit Systems by 98.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $946,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Elbit Systems in the 1st quarter worth approximately $353,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 3,461.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 33.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 135,106 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $51,837,000 after purchasing an additional 34,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Elbit Systems by 7.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 16,521 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,191 shares during the last quarter. 17.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Elbit Systems Stock Performance

Elbit Systems stock opened at $896.53 on Thursday. Elbit Systems Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $354.68 and a fifty-two week high of $1,016.06. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $793.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $622.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $39.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.16.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 17th. The aerospace company reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.33. Elbit Systems had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The firm had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Elbit Systems Ltd. will post 8.05 EPS for the current year.

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Elbit Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Elbit Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Elbit Systems in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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 started coverage on Elbit Systems in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $531.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Elbit Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $550.33.

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.