Virtu Financial LLC Takes Position in Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,294 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $592,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ESLT. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Elbit Systems by 57.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,179 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Elbit Systems by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,158 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Elbit Systems by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 10,351 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,071,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Elbit Systems by 99.4% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,390 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 1,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in Elbit Systems by 22.8% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 13,767 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,742,000 after purchasing an additional 2,556 shares during the last quarter. 17.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Elbit Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Elbit Systems Price Performance

ESLT stock opened at $405.01 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.23 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $325.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $265.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.15. Elbit Systems Ltd. has a 52-week low of $175.30 and a 52-week high of $420.00.

Elbit Systems (NASDAQ:ESLT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 18th. The aerospace company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. Elbit Systems had a return on equity of 11.34% and a net margin of 4.00%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Elbit Systems Ltd. will post 8.05 EPS for the current year.

Elbit Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 22nd. This is an increase from Elbit Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Elbit Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.72%.

Elbit Systems Profile

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.