Vest Financial LLC Buys 2,782 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 73.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,570 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,782 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $5,426,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Knightsbridge Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Knightsbridge Asset Management LLC now owns 813 shares of the company’s stock worth $628,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth $514,000. LS Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% during the first quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,933,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth $834,000. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. CSM Advisors LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $807,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $770.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $677.09 and a fifty-two week high of $972.53. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $770.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $799.95. The company has a market cap of $729.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.76, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.40.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.64 by ($1.30). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. The firm had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 48.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank cut Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $892.00 to $888.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $975.00 price target for the company. HSBC cut Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “reduce” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $1,150.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,011.37.

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.