Gleason Group Inc. Trims Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Gleason Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 31.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,538 shares of the company’s stock after selling 711 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,187,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 87,091.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,463,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,041,631,000 after acquiring an additional 12,448,888 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 92,759.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,022,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $905,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021,287 shares during the period. Wulff Hansen & CO. increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 90,438.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 937,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $848,403,000 after purchasing an additional 936,033 shares during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 37,140.7% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 694,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,990,000 after buying an additional 692,303 shares during the period. Finally, Comerica Bank grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 71.6% during the 2nd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,512,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,825,000 after buying an additional 631,312 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

LLY opened at $742.80 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $784.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $857.48. The company has a market cap of $705.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $612.70 and a 52-week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has authorized a share buyback 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 typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 64.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on LLY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on 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. Wolfe Research initiated 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 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 1st. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 target price for the company. Four 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,002.22.

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.