MFA Wealth Services Acquires Shares of 1,384 Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

MFA Wealth Services bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,068,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LLY. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the third quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,865,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the third quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership now owns 2,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. First Community Trust NA increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 1,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,126,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price on the stock. Barclays reduced 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 research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America reaffirmed 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. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,002.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

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 transaction of $723,042.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 2.4 %

LLY opened at $784.78 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $776.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $849.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $624.68 and a 1-year high of $972.53. The company 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. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). The firm had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.48% and a return on equity of 71.08%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.10 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.22%.

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

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.