Guardian Partners Inc. Takes $3.30 Million Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 4,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,296,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $223,045,000. Umpqua Bank lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 190.9% during the fourth quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 4,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,261,000 after purchasing an additional 2,873 shares during the period. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $293,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,304,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,779,412,000 after purchasing an additional 41,195 shares during the period. Finally, Plancorp LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 12,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,716,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LLY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,009.72.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:LLY opened at $839.44 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $795.93 billion, a PE ratio of 71.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $835.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $839.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $711.40 and a fifty-two week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its earnings results 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has initiated a share 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 repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.