Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $725.25.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Elbit Systems from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Elbit Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Elbit Systems from $950.00 to $880.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday.

Elbit Systems Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ESLT opened at $715.72 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $31.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.14. Elbit Systems has a fifty-two week low of $422.84 and a fifty-two week high of $1,016.06. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $815.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $768.49.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 26th. The aerospace company reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Elbit Systems had a net margin of 7.14% and a return on equity of 16.15%. Analysts expect that Elbit Systems will post 15.3 EPS for the current year.

Elbit Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 23rd. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Elbit Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Bezhalel Machlis sold 25,514 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $887.40, for a total value of $22,641,123.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 transaction of $6,792,159.60. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,736 shares of company stock valued at $61,883,726. 0.84% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ESLT. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Elbit Systems by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 883 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $750,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Elbit Systems by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,610 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $5,612,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Elbit Systems by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 741 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $428,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management grew its holdings in Elbit Systems by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 7,889 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,558,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners grew its holdings in Elbit Systems by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 17.88% of the company’s stock.

About Elbit Systems

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.