Blue Trust Inc. Has $41.05 Million Stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Blue Trust Inc. reduced its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,176 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,971 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $41,052,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,136,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. James Hambro & Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.7% during the third quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 340 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the third quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 1,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Garner Asset Management Corp lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Detalus Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC now owns 798 shares of the company’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on LLY shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 3.1 %

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $844.82 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $794.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $844.60. 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 stock has a market cap of $802.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $711.40 and a twelve month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released 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 return on equity of 86.26% and a net margin of 23.51%. As a group, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback 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 often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 44.41%.

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.