Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Sold by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp cut its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,154 shares of the company’s stock after selling 420 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 24,879 shares during the last quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY stock opened at $852.35 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $839.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $837.61. The firm has a market cap of $808.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.79, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $711.40 and a 1 year high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,009.72.

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.