Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,009.72.

LLY has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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, Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 24,879 shares during the period. Finally, FPC Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $813.55 on Monday. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $711.40 and a twelve month high of $972.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $830.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $842.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $771.38 billion, a PE ratio of 69.47, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its 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 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

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