Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) CAO Donald A. Zakrowski Sells 1,000 Shares

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $813.55 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $830.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $843.24. The firm has a market cap of $771.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.47, 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15.

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

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,208,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,070,698,000 after acquiring an additional 60,306 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $606,000. Carrera Capital Advisors acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $244,000. Moser Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 40.0% during the 3rd quarter. Moser Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 139,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,388,000 after purchasing an additional 5,682 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LLY shares. Citigroup reduced 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 research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

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.