Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Purchased by West Branch Capital LLC

West Branch Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,124 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 1.3% of West Branch Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. West Branch Capital LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $3,956,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Missouri Trust & Investment Co boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 1,082 shares of the company’s stock valued at $835,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. XML Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 262,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,540,000 after purchasing an additional 28,024 shares in the last quarter. Genesis Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $235,000. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 4,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,786,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. The trade was a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of LLY stock opened at $766.00 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $624.68 and a 1 year high of $972.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $776.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $850.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $727.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current year.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is currently 56.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price for the company. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Four research 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 company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,002.22.

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.