Liberty Capital Management Inc. Has $1.74 Million Stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Liberty Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,250 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC increased its position in 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, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 24,879 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on LLY shares. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $868.57 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $789.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $843.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The company has a market capitalization of $824.55 billion, a PE ratio of 74.17, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $711.40 and a 12 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 44.41%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share 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 typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and 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.