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

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $667.00.

Several brokerages have commented on ESLT. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Elbit Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Elbit Systems from $580.00 to $930.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Elbit Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Elbit Systems

In other news, EVP Oren Yaacov Sabag sold 8,504 shares of Elbit Systems stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $887.40, for a total transaction of $7,546,449.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bezhalel Machlis sold 25,514 shares of Elbit Systems stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $887.40, for a total transaction of $22,641,123.60. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 69,736 shares of company stock worth $61,883,726. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Elbit Systems by 98.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $946,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Elbit Systems in the first quarter valued at $353,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Elbit Systems by 3,461.1% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Elbit Systems by 33.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 135,106 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $51,837,000 after acquiring an additional 34,049 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Elbit Systems by 7.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 16,521 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,191 shares during the last quarter. 17.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Elbit Systems Stock Performance

Shares of ESLT stock opened at $750.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Elbit Systems has a 52 week low of $369.60 and a 52 week high of $1,016.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.34 billion, a PE ratio of 66.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $872.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $696.55.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last issued 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Elbit Systems will post 15.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 13th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This is an increase from Elbit Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 13th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Elbit Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.31%.

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.