Virtu Financial LLC Grows Stock Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Virtu Financial LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,288 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 757 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $5,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,245,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $514,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 266,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,389,000 after acquiring an additional 1,867 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $834,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 30.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,202,000 after buying an additional 1,562 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LLY shares. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.72.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value 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. The trade was 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 Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $839.44 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $835.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $839.87. The stock has a market cap of $795.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. Analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.