Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Purchases 604 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 19.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the period. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LLY. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in shares of 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 worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 24,879 shares during the period. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% in the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on LLY. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:LLY opened at $837.34 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $834.04 and its 200-day moving average is $840.69. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $711.40 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The stock has a market cap of $793.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

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 net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 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 allows the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows 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 shares are undervalued.

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.