Vertex Planning Partners LLC Has $461,000 Stock Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Vertex Planning Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 21.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 597 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% during the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $93,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LLY. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup dropped 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY opened at $822.14 on Friday. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $842.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $837.43. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $711.40 and a 12 month high of $972.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $779.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.