GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Makes New Investment in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 33,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,804,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,248,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,320,226,000 after buying an additional 475,530 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,382,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,389,651,000 after purchasing an additional 291,875 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,625,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,747,214,000 after purchasing an additional 2,012,129 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $8,407,908,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,757,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,304,811,000 after purchasing an additional 1,493,673 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $975.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,011.37.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $713.99 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $789.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $803.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The company has a market capitalization of $676.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.97, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $677.09 and a 12-month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.64 by ($1.30). The business had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.58 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.82%.

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.