Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 13 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 858 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13 shares during the quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% during 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 bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $870.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $826.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 94.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $786.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $843.28. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $707.02 and a 52 week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. On average, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on LLY. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price objective on the stock. 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 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $997.50.

About Eli Lilly and Company

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.