Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is AFT Forsyth & Company Inc.’s 5th Largest Position

AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. decreased its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,550 shares of the company’s stock after selling 30 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises about 2.9% of AFT Forsyth & Company Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $5,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,865,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. James Hambro & Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% in the third quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 1,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% during the fourth 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. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $872.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $828.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $711.40 and a one year high of $972.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $793.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $844.15.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued 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 86.26%. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 approved a share buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management 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 issued a $1.50 dividend. 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. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LLY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays decreased 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 report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $997.50.

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.