617 Shares in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Purchased by Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD.

Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $476,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,865,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the third quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. First Community Trust NA boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 257 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the third quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 1,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,126,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 1st. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Four 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,002.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $726.24 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $781.14 and its 200 day moving average is $854.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $612.70 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The company has a market cap of $689.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.51, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.41.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The firm had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.86%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.