Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by First Horizon Advisors Inc.

First Horizon Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,957 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $7,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the fourth 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 grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 24,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $874.12 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $801.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $847.66. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $711.40 and a fifty-two week high of $972.53. The firm has a market cap of $828.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in 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 leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LLY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wolfe Research started 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 target for the company. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and 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.