Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Acquired by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 113.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,141 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,329 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for 0.6% of Entropy Technologies LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $6,285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 87,091.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,463,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,041,631,000 after buying an additional 12,448,888 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 92,759.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,022,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $905,774,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021,287 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 37,140.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 126,531.5% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 678,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $523,991,000 after purchasing an additional 678,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 100.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,165,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,032,737,000 after purchasing an additional 584,866 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $878.09 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $789.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $843.31. The stock has a market cap of $833.58 billion, a PE ratio of 74.99, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $711.40 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued 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 net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 86.26%. As a group, analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current year.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 51.24%.

About Eli Lilly and Company

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.