A&I Financial Services LLC Takes $232,000 Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

A&I Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 113.7% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 331,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $293,964,000 after buying an additional 176,552 shares during the last quarter. Values Added Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.9% in the third quarter. Values Added Financial LLC now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth about $364,000. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 17.6% in the third quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.7% during the third quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 6,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,992,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

NYSE:LLY opened at $904.76 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $811.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $848.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $857.87 billion, a PE ratio of 77.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $711.40 and a one year high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. Equities research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LLY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company 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.