Global Retirement Partners LLC Buys 1,075 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,058 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,075 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $15,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 24,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

NYSE:LLY opened at $866.69 on Thursday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $711.40 and a 52 week high of $972.53. The firm has a market cap of $822.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $797.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $845.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 86.26% and a net margin of 23.51%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders 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. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays dropped 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 research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Truist Financial increased 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $997.50.

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.