Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Boosts Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 18.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,774 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $3,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% during the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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 business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 2.7 %

NYSE:LLY opened at $803.70 on Wednesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $711.40 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The company has a market capitalization of $762.04 billion, a PE ratio of 68.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $847.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $834.15.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors 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.