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

William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 67.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund 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 large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,090,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,089,563,000 after buying an additional 85,823 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,115,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,417,970,000 after buying an additional 157,741 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,236,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,042,276,000 after purchasing an additional 178,007 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 100,387.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,202,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,016,110,000 after purchasing an additional 5,197,038 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,035,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,887,085,000 after purchasing an additional 199,864 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of LLY opened at $821.67 on Wednesday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $711.40 and a 12 month high of $972.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $833.02 and its 200-day moving average is $840.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $779.08 billion, a PE ratio of 70.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. Equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has initiated 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 reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.