Auxano Advisors LLC Acquires 578 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Auxano Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 34.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,250 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 578 shares during the quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 100,387.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,202,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,016,110,000 after purchasing an additional 5,197,038 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 37,140.7% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 694,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,990,000 after acquiring an additional 692,303 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 126,531.5% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 678,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $523,991,000 after purchasing an additional 678,209 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 599.9% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 430,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,710,000 after buying an additional 369,293 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 257.1% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 437,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $387,690,000 after buying an additional 315,065 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $920.44 on Monday. 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 52 week low of $711.40 and a 52 week high of $972.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $814.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $848.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $872.73 billion, a PE ratio of 78.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 of Directors has initiated 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 typically an indication that the company’s leadership 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 51.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LLY. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,000.28.

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.