Ifrah Financial Services Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Ifrah Financial Services Inc. trimmed its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,235 shares of the company’s stock after selling 102 shares during the period. Ifrah Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,497,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 7,071 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,459,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Mathes Company Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $432,000. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 2,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Advanced Asset Management Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. Advanced Asset Management Advisors Inc now owns 485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives now owns 19,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LLY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $844.82 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $802.01 billion, a PE ratio of 72.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $794.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $845.27. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $711.40 and a 1-year 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 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 forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. 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 dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 44.41%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company 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.