Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,970 shares of the company’s stock after selling 591 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $3,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Guidance Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $933,000. Cassia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. 1858 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 300.4% during the fourth quarter. 1858 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the period. Finally, Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,836,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lowered their price target on 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $870.56 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $826.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $707.02 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $786.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $843.28.

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 the consensus estimate of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.48% and a return on equity of 71.08%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a positive change 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 dividend yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 56.22%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and 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.