Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Grows Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 879,138 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,726 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for 1.2% of Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $678,695,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,002.80.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $752.02 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. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $814.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $812.71. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $677.09 and a 52 week high of $972.53. The company has a market capitalization of $712.72 billion, a PE ratio of 64.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.82%.

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.