Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. Lowers Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. trimmed its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,318 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23 shares during the period. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 113.7% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 331,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,964,000 after purchasing an additional 176,552 shares in the last quarter. Values Added Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.9% in the third quarter. Values Added Financial LLC now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 66.5% in the third quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 1,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after buying an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. HT Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.4% in the third quarter. HT Partners LLC now owns 4,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,771,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 745 shares of the company’s stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on LLY shares. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective on the stock. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $874.12 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $711.40 and a 1 year high of $972.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $801.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $847.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $828.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally 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.