Short Interest in Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Declines By 21.6%

Key Points

• Short interest fell 21.6% in March to 209,380 shares (about 0.5% of stock) with a days-to-cover ratio of 1.0.
• Insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 69,736 shares valued at roughly $61.9 million over the past 90 days — including EVP sales on April 9 — and insiders now own about 0.84% of the company.
• Quarterly dividend increased to $1.00 (from $0.75), with an ex-dividend date of April 13 and a $4.00 annualized payout (≈0.5% yield).

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 209,380 shares, a decline of 21.6% from the March 15th total of 267,003 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 202,659 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.5% of the company's stock are sold short.

Insider Activity at Elbit Systems

In related news, EVP Ran Kril sold 6,803 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $887.40, for a total value of $6,036,982.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Haim Daniel Delmar sold 7,654 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $887.40, for a total value of $6,792,159.60. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 69,736 shares of company stock valued at $61,883,726 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westmount Partners LLC purchased a new position in Elbit Systems in the 1st quarter worth approximately $238,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV bought a new stake in shares of Elbit Systems in the 1st quarter worth $1,722,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 74.9% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 990 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $572,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,123,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 875.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 234 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 17.88% of the company's stock.

Elbit Systems Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of NASDAQ ESLT traded down $29.21 during trading on Thursday, reaching $869.79. The company had a trading volume of 135,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 167,737. Elbit Systems has a 12-month low of $369.00 and a 12-month high of $1,016.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The business's 50-day moving average is $833.90 and its 200 day moving average is $651.46. The stock has a market cap of $38.66 billion, a PE ratio of 76.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.16.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The aerospace company reported $3.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.33. Elbit Systems had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 6.73%.The firm had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Elbit Systems will post 8.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 13th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This is a boost from Elbit Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 13th. Elbit Systems's payout ratio is currently 29.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESLT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Elbit Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Elbit Systems in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Elbit Systems from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $667.00.

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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