Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Short Interest Update

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) saw a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 267,003 shares, a growth of 81.9% from the February 26th total of 146,776 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 274,818 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in Elbit Systems by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 741 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management increased its position in Elbit Systems by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 7,889 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,558,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 1.1% during the third quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $950,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 2.5% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,193 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 17.88% of the company’s stock.

Elbit Systems Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of ESLT opened at $890.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.29. Elbit Systems has a 52 week low of $354.68 and a 52 week high of $1,016.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.36, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $782.47 and a 200-day moving average of $611.28.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The aerospace company reported $3.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. Elbit Systems had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 6.73%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Elbit Systems will post 8.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ESLT shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Elbit Systems in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of 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 assumed 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 objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Elbit Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.