Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $997.50.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LLY. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial upped their price target on 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. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 24,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.1 %

LLY opened at $866.69 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $797.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $845.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97. 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 capitalization of $822.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.01, a PEG ratio of 1.35 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 the consensus estimate 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. 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 (DPR) is presently 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.