Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Sells 930 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT cut its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,693 shares of the company’s stock after selling 930 shares during the period. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $15,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,335,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 79.4% in the 4th quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 4,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,320,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903 shares in the last quarter. Compass Capital Corp MA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,059,000. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,282,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $638,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $874.12 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $711.40 and a 1 year high of $972.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $801.33 and its 200-day moving average is $846.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $829.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.65, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.42.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 86.26% and a net margin of 23.51%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LLY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of 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. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,007.94.

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.