Clarius Group LLC Acquires 1,884 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Clarius Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 31.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,920 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,884 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $6,114,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LLY. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the third quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,865,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the third quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. First Community Trust NA boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 257 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the third quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 1,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,126,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total transaction of $723,042.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 1st. Four equities 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, Eli Lilly and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $726.24 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $781.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $854.04. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $612.70 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $689.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.41.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). The company had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.48% and a return on equity of 71.08%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.10 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is currently 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.