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

Shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $550.3333.

ESLT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Elbit Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Elbit Systems in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $531.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Elbit Systems in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Elbit Systems from $530.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th.

Elbit Systems Stock Performance

Shares of ESLT opened at $920.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $767.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $599.59. The stock has a market cap of $40.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.22. Elbit Systems has a one year low of $354.68 and a one year high of $1,016.06.

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

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is a boost from Elbit Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. Elbit Systems’s payout ratio is presently 29.23%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESLT. CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Elbit Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in Elbit Systems during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Elbit Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in Elbit Systems in the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Elbit Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $68,000. 17.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.