Dash Acquisitions Inc. Purchases 16 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Dash Acquisitions Inc. lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 384 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the fourth 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. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LLY shares. StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on 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. Barclays dropped 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 report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $873.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $829.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $711.40 and a 52 week high of $972.53. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $799.63 and a 200 day moving average of $846.07.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 86.26% and a net margin of 23.51%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $1.50 dividend. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 51.24%.

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

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.