Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Purchased by Archford Capital Strategies LLC

Archford Capital Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,152 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Archford Capital Strategies LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $3,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% in the third quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 24,879 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $808.16 on Tuesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $637.00 and a fifty-two week high of $972.53. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $776.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $848.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market cap of $767.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 87.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management 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 paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is currently 56.22%.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. The trade was a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LLY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and 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.