Asio Capital LLC Increases Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Asio Capital LLC increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 352.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,257 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,094 shares during the period. Asio Capital LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $4,058,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,865,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the third quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. First Community Trust NA grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% in the third quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 1,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,126,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, James Hambro & Partners LLP boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on LLY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,002.22.

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was 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 owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,402,522.40. The trade was a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 2.9 %

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $808.16 on Tuesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $637.00 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $776.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $848.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $767.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.37, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.41.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company’s revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.22%.

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