Community Financial Services Group LLC Buys 660 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Community Financial Services Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,771 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for about 1.5% of Community Financial Services Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Community Financial Services Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $7,543,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 3,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,959,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. now owns 23,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,526,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 8,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,589,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,967,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Portfolio Design Labs LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 7,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,937,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:LLY opened at $872.98 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $711.40 and a twelve month high of $972.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $792.27 and a 200-day moving average of $843.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $828.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.55, 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 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 86.26%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current year.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on LLY shares. Barclays cut their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of 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. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four 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.com, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $997.50.

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.