Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

Embraer (NYSE:ERJ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on ERJ. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Embraer from $40.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. UBS Group lowered Embraer from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $32.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Embraer to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Embraer presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.50.

Embraer Stock Down 2.2 %

NYSE ERJ traded down $0.96 during trading on Thursday, reaching $42.05. 817,902 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,175,995. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $38.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market cap of $7.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.46 and a beta of 1.71. Embraer has a 12-month low of $17.46 and a 12-month high of $46.10.

Embraer (NYSE:ERJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The aerospace company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.92. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.63 billion. Embraer had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 11.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Embraer will post 2.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Embraer

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ERJ. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Embraer in the third quarter worth about $202,000. Ninety One North America Inc. raised its position in shares of Embraer by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One North America Inc. now owns 84,451 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,098,000 after acquiring an additional 10,665 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in Embraer by 33.0% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 75,219 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,661,000 after buying an additional 18,656 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Embraer in the third quarter worth $10,611,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans acquired a new position in shares of Embraer during the third quarter valued at approximately $981,000. 34.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Embraer Company Profile

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.