Bard Financial Services Inc. Grows Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Bard Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,770 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% during the third quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 24,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on LLY. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Redburn Atlantic raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective for the company. 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.com, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:LLY traded down $14.59 during trading on Monday, hitting $767.39. The stock had a trading volume of 1,675,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,759,334. The company has a market capitalization of $728.50 billion, a PE ratio of 82.96, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.41. 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 moving average is $793.82 and its 200 day moving average is $863.35. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $609.59 and a 12 month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The firm had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.18 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 64.86%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This represents a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.