Leelyn Smith LLC Trims Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Leelyn Smith LLC trimmed its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,796 shares of the company’s stock after selling 436 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 1.1% of Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $6,018,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $1,965,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,490,000 after acquiring an additional 1,171 shares during the last quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 27.9% during the 4th quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. now owns 25,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,798,000 after acquiring an additional 5,597 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 45,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,014,000 after purchasing an additional 18,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Breed s Hill Capital LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 212.0% in the fourth quarter. Breed s Hill Capital LLC now owns 1,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 969 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on LLY. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY stock opened at $825.48 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $782.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.49, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $832.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $841.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. As a group, equities 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 of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically 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.