WBH Advisory Inc. Has $6.93 Million Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

WBH Advisory Inc. reduced its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,974 shares of the company’s stock after selling 237 shares during the quarter. WBH Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $6,928,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 24,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $844.82 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $794.44 and its 200-day moving average is $845.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $802.01 billion, a PE ratio of 72.15, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $711.40 and a 52 week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 86.26% and a net margin of 23.51%. Equities research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.41%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are 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.