Guidance Capital Inc. Makes New $933,000 Investment in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Guidance Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $933,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,245,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 266,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,389,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,050,000 after buying an additional 695 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,246,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs & Co. CA raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 35.2% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 29,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,690,000 after acquiring an additional 7,646 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $870.56 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $826.44 billion, a PE ratio of 94.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $707.02 and a 12-month high of $972.53. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $786.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $843.28.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. 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. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.22%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LLY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays dropped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup reduced their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company 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.