Foster & Motley Inc. Purchases 584 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Foster & Motley Inc. lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 60.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,556 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 584 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total transaction of $723,042.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 1.4 %

LLY stock opened at $811.61 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $782.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $845.82. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $637.00 and a one year high of $972.53. The company has a market capitalization of $770.48 billion, a PE ratio of 87.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.34). The business had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. As a group, analysts predict 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 initiated a share buyback program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. 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 presently 56.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Redburn Atlantic raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $997.22.

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.