WealthShield Partners LLC Has $2.30 Million Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

WealthShield Partners LLC cut its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 18.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,981 shares of the company’s stock after selling 677 shares during the quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 92,759.9% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,022,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $905,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021,287 shares during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 37,140.7% in the third quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 694,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,990,000 after purchasing an additional 692,303 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 126,531.5% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 678,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $523,991,000 after purchasing an additional 678,209 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 599.9% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 430,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,710,000 after purchasing an additional 369,293 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 257.1% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 437,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $387,690,000 after purchasing an additional 315,065 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup cut their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY opened at $874.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $711.40 and a 1 year high of $972.53. The firm has a market cap of $828.82 billion, a PE ratio of 74.65, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $801.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $847.66.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.