Sabal Trust CO Raises Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Sabal Trust CO grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,786 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 360 shares during the period. Sabal Trust CO’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $4,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 5,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,346,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. Nelson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1,011.0% in the fourth quarter. Nelson Capital Management LLC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,796,000 after purchasing an additional 3,296 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,553,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,199,217,000 after buying an additional 8,906 shares during the period. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,464,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Finally, Sitrin Capital Management LLC raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Sitrin Capital Management LLC now owns 6,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,112,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $902.47 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $805.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $847.99. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $711.40 and a 12 month high of $972.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $855.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.07, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. Analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. This is a boost 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 payout ratio is presently 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.