Brokerages Set Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Price Target at $550.33

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $550.3333.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ESLT shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Elbit Systems in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $531.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Elbit Systems in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Elbit Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Elbit Systems from $530.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th.

Elbit Systems Stock Performance

NASDAQ ESLT opened at $902.96 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.49, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $771.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $604.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.29. Elbit Systems has a fifty-two week low of $354.68 and a fifty-two week high of $1,016.06.

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

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 13th. This is a positive change from Elbit Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Elbit Systems’s payout ratio is currently 19.81%.

Institutional Trading of Elbit Systems

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Elbit Systems by 3,162.0% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 648,104 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $330,404,000 after acquiring an additional 628,236 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its position in Elbit Systems by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 1,550,618 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $893,941,000 after acquiring an additional 397,049 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Elbit Systems during the third quarter worth $172,673,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Elbit Systems by 226.6% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 193,561 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $87,006,000 after purchasing an additional 134,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Elbit Systems by 27.3% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 471,839 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $210,967,000 after purchasing an additional 101,083 shares in the last quarter. 17.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.