Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Trading Down 2.5% – Should You Sell?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) shares traded down 2.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $908.31 and last traded at $906.03. 1,037,100 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 3,110,081 shares. The stock had previously closed at $929.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LLY shares. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Truist Financial upped 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $817.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $848.11. The company has a market cap of $863.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42.

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 return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. Analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current 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 issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 76.7% in the third quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $498,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 75.2% during the 3rd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 1,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,659,000 after acquiring an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.3% in the third quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 3,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,867,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Lansing Street Advisors lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.3% in the third quarter. Lansing Street Advisors now owns 648 shares of the company’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 14.5% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 826,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $732,623,000 after purchasing an additional 104,801 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.