Values First Advisors Inc. Has $358,000 Stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 494.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 464 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein began 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 objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target 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 research note on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY opened at $872.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $828.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.54, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $711.40 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $793.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $844.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

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

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.