Nicholas Company Inc. Sells 4,680 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Nicholas Company Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,585 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,680 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $56,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LLY. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $1,070,698,000 after acquiring an additional 60,306 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $606,000. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Vawter Financial Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vawter Financial Ltd. now owns 1,861 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,649,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 599.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 430,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,710,000 after buying an additional 369,293 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $813.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $771.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.47, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $711.40 and a 12 month high of $972.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $830.81 and its 200 day moving average is $843.24. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS 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%. Research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LLY shares. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,009.72.

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.