Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Trading 3.4% Higher – Still a Buy?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) shot up 3.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $1,065.00 and last traded at $1,062.67. 4,638,563 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 15% from the average session volume of 4,032,714 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,027.51.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $951.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Leerink Partners raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $886.00 to $1,104.00 in a report on Monday, November 10th. Daiwa Capital Markets set a $1,230.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 27th. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,141.73.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $985.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $948.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $824.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 109.52% and a net margin of 30.99%.The business had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company’s revenue was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 29.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter worth $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 84.2% in the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 35 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Steph & Co. lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 290.0% during the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 39 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

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.