5,422 Shares in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Purchased by Natural Investments LLC

Natural Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 5,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,185,000. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for 1.1% of Natural Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Garner Asset Management Corp grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. FWG Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. FWG Holdings LLC now owns 2,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,640,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Morling Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Morling Financial Advisors LLC now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors now owns 767 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Finally, Altrius Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 1,285 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,138,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial increased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research started coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective for the company. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,009.72.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY stock opened at $828.80 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $827.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $846.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $785.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.78, a PEG 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.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is 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.