Yousif Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Yousif Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 83,403 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,553 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company makes up approximately 0.7% of Yousif Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $64,387,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 113.7% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 331,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,964,000 after purchasing an additional 176,552 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $345,000. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 1,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,234,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 75,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,524,000 after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LLY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays reduced their price target 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 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

LLY opened at $870.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $826.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.11, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $786.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $843.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $707.02 and a 52-week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. Equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock 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 reacquire up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. This is a boost 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 payout ratio is presently 56.22%.

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.