Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Embraer S.A. (NYSE:ERJ) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $56.61 and last traded at $56.40, with a volume of 2891485 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $55.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Embraer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Embraer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Embraer from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Embraer presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.60.

Embraer Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38 and a beta of 1.70.

Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The aerospace company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.21 billion. Embraer had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 8.24%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Embraer S.A. will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Embraer

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Embraer by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 24,212 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 6,822 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of Embraer by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 37,900 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Embraer during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,042,000. Ulysses Management LLC acquired a new stake in Embraer during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,017,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in Embraer by 27.4% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 506,051 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $18,562,000 after acquiring an additional 108,740 shares during the period. 34.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Embraer

Embraer SA designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aircraft and systems in North America, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Brazil, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Commercial Aviation; Defense & Security; Executive Aviation; Services & Support; and Other segments. The Commercial Aviation segment designs, develops, manufactures, and sells commercial jets, as well as leases aircraft.