ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Sells 1,029 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lessened its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 39.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,612 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,029 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.0% in the second quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 20,819 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,849,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter worth approximately $112,000. PFG Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 13.3% during the second quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 3,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,046,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 5.8% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 79,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,035,000 after buying an additional 4,344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 23.4% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Planning Group LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,539,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LLY. StockNews.com raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price objective for the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed 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 price target for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $799.39 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $786.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $860.02. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $612.70 and a 12-month high of $972.53. The firm has a market cap of $758.87 billion, a PE ratio of 86.42, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The business had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.10 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.86%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved 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 buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total transaction of $723,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.