Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $550.3333.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ESLT shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Elbit Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Elbit Systems from $530.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Elbit Systems in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $531.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Elbit Systems in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in Elbit Systems during the third quarter worth $26,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Elbit Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Elbit Systems in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Elbit Systems in the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Elbit Systems during the third quarter worth about $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 17.88% of the company’s stock.

Elbit Systems Stock Performance

ESLT opened at $920.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $767.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $599.59. Elbit Systems has a 1 year low of $354.68 and a 1 year high of $1,016.06. 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 (NASDAQ:ESLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The aerospace company reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.33. Elbit Systems had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The company had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Elbit Systems will post 8.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

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

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.