Guardian Asset Advisors LLC Reduces Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Guardian Asset Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,398 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company makes up about 1.7% of Guardian Asset Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,090,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,089,563,000 after acquiring an additional 85,823 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 87,091.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,463,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,041,631,000 after acquiring an additional 12,448,888 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,115,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,417,970,000 after acquiring an additional 157,741 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,058,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,481,175,000 after acquiring an additional 169,391 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,954,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,731,168,000 after acquiring an additional 12,044 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $844.82 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $711.40 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $802.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.15, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $794.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $844.34. 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 (NYSE:LLY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 86.26% and a net margin of 23.51%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price 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. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and 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.