Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Stock Price Up 1.8% – Should You Buy?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) shot up 1.8% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $853.10 and last traded at $852.43. 550,923 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 3,141,571 shares. The stock had previously closed at $837.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial boosted 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.72.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 1.5 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $839.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $837.61. The firm has a market cap of $808.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released 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 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LLY. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,245,000 after buying an additional 724 shares during the period. Centerpoint Advisory Group acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $514,000. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 266,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $834,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 30.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,562 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

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.