Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Purchased by Zhang Financial LLC

Zhang Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 41.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,551 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 24,879 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total transaction of $723,042.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 2.2 %

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $741.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $779.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $852.83. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $614.82 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $704.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.21, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). The business had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.10 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LLY. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Redburn Atlantic raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.