Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Decreases Stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 325 shares of the company’s stock after selling 81 shares during the quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,865,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the third quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. First Community Trust NA grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.9% during the third quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 1,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,126,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, James Hambro & Partners LLP lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 340 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LLY shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Redburn Atlantic raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,002.22.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total transaction of $723,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,402,522.40. The trade was a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:LLY opened at $784.78 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $776.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $848.83. The stock has a market cap of $745.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $624.68 and a twelve month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.48% and a return on equity of 71.08%. The company had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. 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 dividend yield of 0.76%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is currently 56.22%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically 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.