Archford Capital Strategies LLC Boosts Stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Archford Capital Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,152 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Archford Capital Strategies LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $3,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Driehaus Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 94.2% in the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,480,000 after acquiring an additional 793 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 27.9% in the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock worth $456,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter worth approximately $2,114,000. Wallace Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter worth approximately $321,000. Finally, Regal Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.3% in the second quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,819,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LLY shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. 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 on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price objective on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,002.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $808.16 on Tuesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $637.00 and a 52 week high of $972.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $776.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $848.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $767.20 billion, a PE ratio of 87.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.41.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 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 business had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.10 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 56.22%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase 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 stock is undervalued.

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.