Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) Sets New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $426.40 and last traded at $418.42, with a volume of 118602 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $414.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Elbit Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Elbit Systems Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.04 and a beta of 0.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $388.15 and a 200-day moving average of $311.34.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 18th. The aerospace company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. Elbit Systems had a return on equity of 11.34% and a net margin of 4.00%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Elbit Systems Ltd. will post 8.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 22nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. This is an increase from Elbit Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 22nd. Elbit Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.72%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in shares of Elbit Systems by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 14,474 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Elbit Systems during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,929,000. Virtu Financial LLC grew its stake in Elbit Systems by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 2,532 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $971,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 878 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Elbit Systems by 8.6% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 393 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 17.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Elbit Systems Company Profile

Elbit Systems Ltd. develops and supplies a portfolio of airborne, land, and naval systems and products for the defense, homeland security, and commercial aviation applications primarily in Israel. The company operates through Aerospace, C4I and Cyber, ISTAR and EW, Land, and Elbit Systems of America segments.