Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Elbit Systems has an average analyst rating of "Hold" from six brokerages, with four hold calls and two buy ratings. The consensus 1-year price target is $803.75.
• The company reported better-than-expected earnings for its latest quarter, posting $3.87 EPS versus estimates of $2.98 and revenue of $2.19 billion versus expectations of $2.14 billion.
• Elbit Systems also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, or $4.00 annually, which implies a yield of about 0.5%.

Shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the six brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $803.75.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Elbit Systems from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Elbit Systems from $950.00 to $880.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $845.00 price target on shares of Elbit Systems in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Elbit Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th.

Elbit Systems Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:ESLT opened at $808.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $791.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $797.08. Elbit Systems has a 52-week low of $432.85 and a 52-week high of $1,016.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 26th. The aerospace company reported $3.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.98 by $0.89. Elbit Systems had a net margin of 7.14% and a return on equity of 16.15%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.14 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Elbit Systems will post 15.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 23rd. Elbit Systems's payout ratio is presently 26.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Elbit Systems during the 4th quarter worth $1,493,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 709.3% during the fourth quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 88,075 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $50,948,000 after purchasing an additional 77,192 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 998,267 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $573,131,000 after purchasing an additional 13,406 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 126,864 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $73,291,000 after purchasing an additional 33,235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 17,235 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $10,202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares in the last quarter. 17.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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