Donald A. Zakrowski Sells 1,000 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Stock

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $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 SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $813.55 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $771.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.47, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $830.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $844.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. 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 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities 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. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,248,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,320,226,000 after buying an additional 475,530 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,382,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,389,651,000 after purchasing an additional 291,875 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 19.0% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,625,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,747,214,000 after purchasing an additional 2,012,129 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $8,407,908,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,493,673 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.