Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Bought by Martin Currie Ltd.

Martin Currie Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 137.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,422 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 21,689 shares during the quarter. Martin Currie Ltd.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $28,890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LLY. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,245,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $514,000. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 266,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $834,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 30.2% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,202,000 after buying an additional 1,562 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on LLY. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

NYSE LLY opened at $820.30 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $777.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.05, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The business’s 50 day moving average is $844.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $836.37. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. Research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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.