Highland Financial Advisors LLC Invests $792,000 in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Highland Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 1,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $792,000. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 0.3% of Highland Financial Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 24,879 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on LLY. Citigroup dropped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Truist Financial raised their target price 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

LLY stock opened at $844.82 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $794.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $844.98. 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 has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $802.01 billion, a PE ratio of 72.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, 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 business 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 0.71%. This is a boost 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 announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management 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.