Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) Short Interest Update

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 79,200 shares, a growth of 55.0% from the August 31st total of 51,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 23,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Elbit Systems

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Elbit Systems by 368.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 164 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Elbit Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in Elbit Systems by 56.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 232 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Elbit Systems by 53.8% in the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 409 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Elbit Systems by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 537 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 17.88% of the company’s stock.

Elbit Systems Price Performance

Elbit Systems stock opened at $195.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Elbit Systems has a 52-week low of $175.30 and a 52-week high of $225.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $193.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.39 and a beta of 0.54.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The aerospace company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.31. Elbit Systems had a return on equity of 10.70% and a net margin of 3.85%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Elbit Systems will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Elbit Systems Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.416 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 15th. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. Elbit Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Elbit Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

About Elbit Systems

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.