Hall Laurie J Trustee Sells 500 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Hall Laurie J Trustee lowered its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 41.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Hall Laurie J Trustee’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $540,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LLY. Beck Bode LLC bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $15,036,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $546,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.9% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,542,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.4% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 822 shares of the company’s stock worth $755,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certified Advisory Corp raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.6% during the second quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 4,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,679,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $726.24 on Tuesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $612.70 and a 52 week high of $972.53. The company has a market capitalization of $689.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.51, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $781.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $854.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The company’s revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.22%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. The trade was a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LLY shares. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 1st. Barclays decreased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target for the company. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.