MFA Wealth Advisors LLC Grows Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

MFA Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 366 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the third quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,865,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 1,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,126,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. James Hambro & Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 1,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on 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. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE LLY opened at $868.57 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $789.87 and its 200 day moving average is $843.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $711.40 and a 12 month high of $972.53. The stock has a market cap of $824.55 billion, a PE ratio of 74.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted 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%. Research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 44.41%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are 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.