Financial Counselors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 50,599 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,806 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $39,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 24,879 shares in the last quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $852.35 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $711.40 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $839.56 and a 200-day moving average of $837.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $808.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. Equities research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.72.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value 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. This trade represents 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 this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.