Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Trading Up 0.7% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) traded up 0.7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $889.36 and last traded at $876.52. 1,608,659 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 3,895,500 shares. The stock had previously closed at $870.37.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on LLY. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a market capitalization of $833.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 94.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $788.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $843.47. 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 (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. On average, analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 56.22%.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LLY. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 87,091.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,463,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,041,631,000 after acquiring an additional 12,448,888 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 100,387.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,202,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,016,110,000 after purchasing an additional 5,197,038 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth $1,240,653,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 92,759.9% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,022,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $905,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021,287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Investment Consultants LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 37,140.7% in the third quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 694,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,990,000 after buying an additional 692,303 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.