Blue Trust Inc. Sells 5,971 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Blue Trust Inc. reduced its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 53,176 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,971 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $41,052,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Autumn Glory Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $533,000. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 102,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,359,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 3,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,308 shares in the last quarter. GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, Campbell Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 671.9% in the 4th quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 2,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,150 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on LLY shares. Redburn Atlantic raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America reiterated 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. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $844.82 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $794.44 and its 200 day moving average is $844.60. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $711.40 and a one year high of $972.53. The firm has a market cap of $802.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.15, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

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 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 86.26%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.41%.

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.