Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Acquired by Barings LLC

Barings LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 251.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,669 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,194 shares during the period. Barings LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 100,387.1% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,202,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,016,110,000 after acquiring an additional 5,197,038 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,240,653,000. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 37,140.7% during the third quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 694,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,990,000 after acquiring an additional 692,303 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 126,531.5% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 678,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $523,991,000 after acquiring an additional 678,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 599.9% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 430,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,710,000 after acquiring an additional 369,293 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY opened at $868.59 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $826.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $847.97. The firm has a market cap of $823.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.17, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $711.40 and a twelve month high of $972.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced 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 return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. Equities research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on LLY. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of 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. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.