Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by Gouws Capital LLC

Gouws Capital LLC cut its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,505 shares of the company’s stock after selling 122 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for approximately 9.3% of Gouws Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Gouws Capital LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $13,514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $514,000. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter worth $834,000. Finally, Cooper Financial Group increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,050,000 after purchasing an additional 695 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LLY shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three equities research 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 an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 2.0 %

LLY stock opened at $910.92 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $819.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $848.03. The company has a market cap of $863.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.79, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback 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 generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.24%.

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.