Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by CWS Financial Advisors LLC

CWS Financial Advisors LLC lowered its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 40.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 717 shares of the company’s stock after selling 483 shares during the period. CWS Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 24,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $881.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $803.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $847.92. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $711.40 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $836.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.31, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 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%. On average, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on LLY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,000.28.

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.