WMG Financial Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

WMG Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 98.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 950 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the quarter. WMG Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Garner Asset Management Corp grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 679 shares of the company’s stock worth $602,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Altrius Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSG Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. GSG Advisors LLC now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $930.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $882.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42. 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 has a 1-year low of $711.40 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $817.56 and its 200 day moving average is $848.11.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research assumed 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. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Redburn Atlantic raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,000.28.

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.