Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,007 shares of the company’s stock after selling 80 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,208,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,070,698,000 after acquiring an additional 60,306 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,258,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,443,000 after acquiring an additional 7,425 shares in the last quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. now owns 2,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,488,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 84,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,128,000 after acquiring an additional 13,200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY opened at $839.44 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $711.40 and a twelve month high of $972.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $835.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $839.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $795.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.69, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. 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 (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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, March 5th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.