Saturna Capital Corp Sells 20,329 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Saturna Capital Corp cut its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 629,082 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,329 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for 6.6% of Saturna Capital Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $485,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on LLY shares. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,009.72.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 0.7 %

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $823.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $781.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $711.40 and a 1 year high of $972.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $828.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $845.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15.

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 predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Eli Lilly and 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.