Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC Acquires 136 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,163 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 113.7% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 331,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,964,000 after purchasing an additional 176,552 shares during the period. Values Added Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.9% during the third quarter. Values Added Financial LLC now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at about $364,000. Goldstone Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth about $260,000. Finally, Tevis Investment Management boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.2% in the third quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $820,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:LLY opened at $920.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $814.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $849.10. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $711.40 and a one year high of $972.53. The firm has a market cap of $872.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.