Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by Guardian Financial Partners LLC

Guardian Financial Partners LLC lowered its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 51.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 358 shares of the company’s stock after selling 379 shares during the period. Guardian Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $277,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,402,522.40. This represents a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LLY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research assumed 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 on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $726.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $689.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.51, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $783.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $856.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $612.70 and a twelve month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current year.

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

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.22%.

Eli Lilly and Company 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.