Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by CHICAGO TRUST Co NA

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA trimmed its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,250 shares of the company’s stock after selling 531 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 0.9% of CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $4,825,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 24,879 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LLY. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $885.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,002.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total transaction of $723,042.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 1.0 %

LLY traded down $7.67 on Monday, reaching $792.23. 1,211,595 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,824,737. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $786.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $859.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $612.70 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The company has a market cap of $752.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.65, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.34). The business had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The business’s revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.10 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is currently 64.86%.

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

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.