Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,597 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $26,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Garner Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. FWG Holdings LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. FWG Holdings LLC now owns 2,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors now owns 767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 1,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSG Advisors LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. GSG Advisors LLC now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. 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 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,007.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $868.59 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $826.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $847.24. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53. 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 company has a market capitalization of $823.57 billion, a PE ratio of 74.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

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.