William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $35.01 Million Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 67.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,355 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,193 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $35,014,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,208,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,070,698,000 after buying an additional 60,306 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at $606,000. Prudent Man Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at $276,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 29.2% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $933,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LLY. 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. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Three 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.72.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 0.4 %

LLY opened at $821.67 on Wednesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $711.40 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The company has a market cap of $779.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $833.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $840.71.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 85.24%. Analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors 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.