Sen. Ron Wyden Purchases Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) recently bought shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY). In a filing disclosed on February 21st, the Senator disclosed that they had bought between $50,001 and $100,000 in Eli Lilly and Company stock on January 22nd.

Senator Ron Wyden also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) on 2/10/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT) on 2/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Solventum (NYSE:SOLV) on 2/6/2025.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY opened at $874.12 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $711.40 and a twelve month high of $972.53. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $801.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $846.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $829.82 billion, a PE ratio of 74.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share 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 86.26%. Research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 51.24%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 11,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,650,000 after buying an additional 923 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $1,364,000. Aurdan Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $468,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $4,102,000. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 1,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,467,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective 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. Truist Financial boosted 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 research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,007.94.

About Senator Wyden

Ron Wyden (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Oregon. He assumed office on January 30, 1996. His current term ends on January 3, 2029. Wyden (Democratic Party, Independent Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Oregon. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022. He advanced from the Democratic primary on May 17, 2022. In 2018, the Town Hall Project, which described itself as “a citizen powered, grassroots effort that empowers constituents across the country to have face-to-face conversations with their elected representatives,” named Wyden town hall MVP for the second year in a row. According to OregonLive, Wyden held over 900 town hall meetings between 1996 and 2018. Wyden previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District from 1981 to 1996. As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings, Wyden is an average Democratic member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Democratic Party on the majority of bills.

About Eli Lilly and Company

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.