Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Buys 24,879 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 117.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,132 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,879 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $41,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 87,091.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,463,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,041,631,000 after acquiring an additional 12,448,888 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $5,417,970,000 after purchasing an additional 157,741 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 169,391 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,581,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,242,296,000 after buying an additional 171,595 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,027,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,741,832,000 after buying an additional 22,392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.9 %

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $789.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $749.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $833.49 and a 200-day moving average of $871.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $561.65 and a one year high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.48% and a return on equity of 71.08%. The company had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 56.22%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Truist Financial raised their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $1,106.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,002.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total value of $723,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.