Elbit Systems Ltd. $ESLT Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group raised its stake by 1.4% in Q4 to 998,267 shares—about 2.25% ownership—valued at roughly $573.1 million per its 13F filing.
• Insiders sold significant stock: CEO Bezhalel Machlis sold 25,514 shares (~$22.64M) and insiders have sold 69,736 shares worth about $61.9M in the past 90 days; insiders now own 0.84% of the company.
• Strong results and dividend hike: Elbit beat quarterly estimates with EPS $3.56 vs $3.23 and revenue $2.15B vs $2.09B, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.00 (annualized $4.00; yield 0.5%).

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 998,267 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 13,406 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 2.25% of Elbit Systems worth $573,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eos Management L.P. increased its stake in Elbit Systems by 71.0% during the 4th quarter. Eos Management L.P. now owns 8,673 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $5,010,000 after buying an additional 3,600 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Elbit Systems by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 627 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in Elbit Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $437,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in Elbit Systems by 75.2% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 368 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Elbit Systems by 45.4% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 615 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 17.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Elbit Systems

In other Elbit Systems news, CEO Bezhalel Machlis sold 25,514 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $887.40, for a total value of $22,641,123.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Yoram Shmuely sold 7,654 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $887.40, for a total transaction of $6,792,159.60. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 69,736 shares of company stock worth $61,883,726. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Elbit Systems from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Elbit Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Elbit Systems from $580.00 to $930.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $667.00.

Elbit Systems Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ESLT opened at $857.79 on Tuesday. Elbit Systems Ltd. has a twelve month low of $369.60 and a twelve month high of $1,016.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a 50-day moving average of $870.30 and a 200-day moving average of $678.51. The firm has a market cap of $38.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.14.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 17th. The aerospace company reported $3.56 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Analysts forecast that Elbit Systems Ltd. will post 15.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

The firm 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 a positive change from Elbit Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 13th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Elbit Systems's payout ratio is 29.31%.

Elbit Systems 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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