Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by Moody Aldrich Partners LLC

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC lowered its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 20.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 513 shares of the company’s stock after selling 132 shares during the period. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,402,522.40. The trade was a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $997.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE LLY opened at $823.59 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $637.00 and a 12 month high of $972.53. The company has a market capitalization of $781.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $780.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $845.98.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The firm had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 56.22%.

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.