Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Embraer S.A. (NYSE:ERJ - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $43.43 and last traded at $44.63, with a volume of 207023 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $39.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ERJ has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group lowered Embraer from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $32.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Embraer from $40.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of Embraer from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Embraer to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Embraer has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $40.50.

Embraer Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day moving average price is $38.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.67. The firm has a market cap of $7.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.78 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Embraer (NYSE:ERJ - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Embraer had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 11.61%. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.18 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Embraer S.A. will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Embraer

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Embraer by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 7,614 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Embraer by 1.2% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 26,007 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Embraer by 3.0% in the third quarter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,753 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. LVW Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Embraer by 3.4% during the third quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 10,320 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Embraer by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. 34.65% of the stock is 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.