Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Buys 370 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,375 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company comprises 1.6% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $30,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,245,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $514,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 266,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,389,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $834,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 1,562 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LLY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,009.72.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

LLY opened at $819.57 on Thursday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $848.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $834.05. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $711.40 and a 1 year high of $972.53. The company has a market capitalization of $777.09 billion, a PE ratio of 69.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34.

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

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.