Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC

Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,008 shares of the company’s stock after selling 183 shares during the quarter. Compton Wealth Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $778,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of LLY. Lyell Wealth Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% during the second quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 2,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,246,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 5.7% during the second quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $968,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Seven Mile Advisory grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.0% in the second quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,028,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter valued at about $4,067,000. Finally, Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 8.4% in the second quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 3,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,810,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:LLY traded down $7.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $792.23. The stock had a trading volume of 1,211,595 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,824,737. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $786.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $859.41. The company has a market capitalization of $752.08 billion, a PE ratio of 85.65, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $612.70 and a twelve month 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.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.34). The firm had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.48% and a return on equity of 71.08%. The firm’s revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.10 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.18 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.86%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

LLY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $885.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,002.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total transaction of $723,042.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.