Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Gap Up - Here's Why

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $757.54, but opened at $811.35. Eli Lilly and Company shares last traded at $805.02, with a volume of 2,209,169 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LLY shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays decreased 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,106.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed 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 target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $818.94 and a 200 day moving average of $868.98. 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 firm has a market cap of $728.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.41.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 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 the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.10 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.18 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.86%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,090,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,089,563,000 after purchasing an additional 85,823 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 87,091.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 12,463,182 shares of the company's stock worth $11,041,631,000 after acquiring an additional 12,448,888 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,115,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,417,970,000 after acquiring an additional 157,741 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,058,101 shares of the company's stock worth $4,481,175,000 after purchasing an additional 169,391 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,581,075 shares of the company's stock worth $3,242,296,000 after purchasing an additional 171,595 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.