XML Financial LLC Acquires 50 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

XML Financial LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,825 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,409,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Beck Bode LLC bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter valued at about $15,036,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 17.3% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 474,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,650,000 after purchasing an additional 70,122 shares during the last quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. now owns 204,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,831,000 after acquiring an additional 1,586 shares in the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 703,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,058,000 after acquiring an additional 44,133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,027,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,741,832,000 after purchasing an additional 22,392 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on LLY. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $766.00 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $776.31 and a 200 day moving average of $850.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The company has a market capitalization of $727.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $624.68 and a 52 week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The company had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.22%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

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

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.