Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by Black Swift Group LLC

Black Swift Group LLC decreased its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 78.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,145 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,225 shares during the quarter. Black Swift Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $884,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Garner Asset Management Corp raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 679 shares of the company’s stock valued at $602,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors now owns 767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 1,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSG Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. GSG Advisors LLC now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $930.12 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $881.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $822.55 and a 200-day moving average of $848.61. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $711.40 and a 52 week high of $972.53.

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 net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. On average, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. 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 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.24%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on LLY. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. 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. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,007.50.

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.