Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 61,998 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 724,516 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 61,998 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company makes up 0.8% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $559,485,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 24,879 shares during the last quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LLY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of 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. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup cut their price objective on 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, Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.72.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $737.56 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $699.33 billion, a PE ratio of 62.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $848.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $832.44. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $711.40 and a twelve month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS 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 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.