Quent Capital LLC Has $4.20 Million Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,439 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the quarter. Quent Capital LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $4,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 24,879 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on 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. Citigroup dropped 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 note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

LLY opened at $872.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $828.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $711.40 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. The business’s fifty day moving average is $792.27 and its 200-day moving average is $843.94.

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 the consensus estimate 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. 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 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.41%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is 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.