Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Stock Now Rated "Hold" by Wall Street Brokerages

Key Points

• Elbit Systems has a consensus “Hold” rating from five analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $841.67. Recent targets range from $790 to $885, while one analyst upgraded the stock to “Buy.”
• The stock opened at $779.68, with a market capitalization of approximately $34.66 billion and a 52-week range of $453.00 to $1,016.06. Its valuation includes a P/E ratio of 58.76.
• Elbit Systems exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $4.14 in EPS versus the $3.69 estimate and revenue of $2.29 billion. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, representing a 0.5% yield.

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $841.67.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ESLT shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Elbit Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $850.00 price target on shares of Elbit Systems in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Elbit Systems from $880.00 to $790.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Elbit Systems from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Elbit Systems from $950.00 to $885.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th.

Elbit Systems Price Performance

NASDAQ:ESLT opened at $779.68 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business's 50-day moving average price is $723.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $784.18. Elbit Systems has a 52-week low of $453.00 and a 52-week high of $1,016.06. The firm has a market cap of $34.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.76, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.13.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The aerospace company reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. Elbit Systems had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 16.66%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Elbit Systems will post 16.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Elbit Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 206.1% in the 1st quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 269,599 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $228,914,000 after buying an additional 181,524 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new position in Elbit Systems during the first quarter valued at approximately $128,135,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its position in Elbit Systems by 4.5% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 1,619,783 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,351,958,000 after acquiring an additional 69,165 shares in the last quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd. lifted its stake in Elbit Systems by 8.9% in the first quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd. now owns 397,089 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $332,985,000 after acquiring an additional 32,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in Elbit Systems by 27.7% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 102,740 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $85,619,000 after acquiring an additional 22,315 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 17.88% of the company's stock.

Elbit Systems Company Profile

Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israel-based international defense technology company that develops and supplies a broad range of systems for military, homeland security, and commercial aviation customers. Its offerings include command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems; unmanned aerial systems; electro-optical and night-vision technologies; electronic warfare and signal intelligence solutions; and cyber-related capabilities.

The company also provides land systems, artillery and precision ammunition solutions, military vehicle systems, avionics, aircraft mission systems, training and simulation technologies, and helmet-mounted displays.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.