Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Stake Raised by Welch Group LLC

Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,514 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the quarter. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $5,733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 80,407,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,680,004,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183,038 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 78,621.2% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,552,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,005,392,000 after buying an additional 11,537,661 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $8,827,714,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,447,636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,246,596,000 after acquiring an additional 226,620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,443,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,496,187,000 after acquiring an additional 397,696 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.5%

LLY opened at $1,077.06 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 52.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.55. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $976.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $837.36. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $623.78 and a twelve month high of $1,111.99.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. The company had revenue of $17.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,286.00 to $1,268.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $1,165.00 price target for the company. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $830.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Leerink Partners restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets set a $1,230.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,155.36.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company founded in 1876 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and therapies for patients worldwide. Eli Lilly maintains operations and commercial presence across North America, Europe, Asia and other regions, serving both developed and emerging markets. The company has been led in recent years by President and Chief Executive Officer David A.