SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 23,287 Shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. $ESLT

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) by 163.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,491 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,287 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Elbit Systems were worth $19,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in Elbit Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Elbit Systems during the second quarter worth $28,000. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Elbit Systems during the second quarter worth $31,000. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new position in shares of Elbit Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Elbit Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at $68,000. 17.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Elbit Systems from $530.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Elbit Systems in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $531.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Elbit Systems in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Elbit Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Elbit Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Elbit Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $550.33.

Elbit Systems Price Performance

ESLT stock opened at $674.63 on Friday. 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’s 50-day moving average is $519.02 and its 200-day moving average is $488.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.99 billion, a PE ratio of 68.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.22. Elbit Systems Ltd. has a 1 year low of $279.09 and a 1 year high of $681.20.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The aerospace company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $0.60. Elbit Systems had a return on equity of 15.04% and a net margin of 5.91%.The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.99 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Elbit Systems Ltd. will post 8.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Announces Dividend

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

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.