Altrius Capital Management Inc Reduces Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Altrius Capital Management Inc lessened its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,264 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21 shares during the period. Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LLY. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,978,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Partners LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 39.9% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop Partners LLC now owns 1,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,346,000 after buying an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,775,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,189,000. Finally, Prosperitas Financial LLC boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,508,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America reissued 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $904.76 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. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53. The firm has a market cap of $857.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.26, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $811.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $848.85.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, research analysts forecast 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 initiated a share repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.