Optimist Retirement Group LLC Buys 18 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,182 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises about 1.2% of Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,245,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position 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 valued at $236,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,050,000 after purchasing an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,246,000 after purchasing an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs & Co. CA lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 35.2% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 29,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,690,000 after acquiring an additional 7,646 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LLY. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered 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 report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup lowered 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $997.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 3.4 %

NYSE LLY opened at $870.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $826.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $786.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $843.28. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $707.02 and a one year high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.48% and a return on equity of 71.08%. Equities analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.22%.

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.