Banco Santander S.A. Raises Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Banco Santander S.A. increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 79,181 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,734 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for approximately 0.7% of Banco Santander S.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $61,128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,090,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,089,563,000 after buying an additional 85,823 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,115,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,417,970,000 after buying an additional 157,741 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,236,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,042,276,000 after buying an additional 178,007 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 100,387.1% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,202,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,016,110,000 after buying an additional 5,197,038 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,035,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,887,085,000 after buying an additional 199,864 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 4.8 %

NYSE LLY opened at $868.59 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $826.63 and its 200 day moving average is $848.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $823.57 billion, a PE ratio of 74.17, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $711.40 and a 1 year high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Truist Financial raised their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,007.50.

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.