Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Holdings Increased by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 741,294 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,925 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for about 1.4% of Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $572,279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Trivest Advisors Ltd purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $10,808,000. First Financial Bankshares Inc grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc now owns 1,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $780,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter worth $8,418,000. GM Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 11,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,790,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Forty Two & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $505,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.4 %

LLY stock opened at $821.67 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $833.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $840.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $779.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $711.40 and a 52 week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its 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 return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. Equities analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on LLY shares. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup reduced 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective 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. 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, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.72.

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.