Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,009.72.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup dropped 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price target 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, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of LLY stock opened at $839.44 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $835.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $838.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The company has a market capitalization of $795.93 billion, a PE ratio of 71.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,248,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,320,226,000 after purchasing an additional 475,530 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,382,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,389,651,000 after buying an additional 291,875 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,625,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,747,214,000 after buying an additional 2,012,129 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $8,407,908,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,757,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,304,811,000 after buying an additional 1,493,673 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

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.