855 Shares in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Purchased by Greystone Financial Group LLC

Greystone Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 855 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $660,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 24,879 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $874.12 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $711.40 and a 1-year high of $972.53. 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 stock has a market cap of $829.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $801.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $846.75.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LLY. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup decreased 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,007.94.

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.