Guardian Financial Partners LLC Has $277,000 Stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Guardian Financial Partners LLC lowered its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 51.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 358 shares of the company’s stock after selling 379 shares during the quarter. Guardian Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% in 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. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 4.1 %

NYSE:LLY opened at $726.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $612.70 and a twelve month high of $972.53. The company has a market cap of $689.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $783.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $856.02.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released 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 business had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.22%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 1st. Redburn Atlantic raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,002.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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.