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

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the six research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $803.75.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Elbit Systems from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Elbit Systems from $950.00 to $880.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Elbit Systems from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $845.00 target price on shares of Elbit Systems in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Elbit Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its position in Elbit Systems by 709.3% in the fourth quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 88,075 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $50,948,000 after purchasing an additional 77,192 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its position in Elbit Systems by 35.5% during the 4th 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 during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Elbit Systems by 1.4% during the 4th 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. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 8.5% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 101.9% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,807 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,084,000 after purchasing an additional 4,444 shares during the last quarter. 17.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Elbit Systems Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of ESLT opened at $782.84 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $34.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.99, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $791.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $810.66. Elbit Systems has a 52-week low of $447.00 and a 52-week high of $1,016.06.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The aerospace company reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.45. Elbit Systems had a return on equity of 16.66% and a net margin of 7.44%.The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.25 billion. Analysts predict that Elbit Systems will post 15.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. Elbit Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.09%.

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.