Guardian Financial Partners LLC Has $277,000 Position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Guardian Financial Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 51.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 358 shares of the company's stock after selling 379 shares during the quarter. Guardian Financial Partners LLC's holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $277,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LLY. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% during the fourth quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 117.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 46,132 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 24,879 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LLY has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and set a $997.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY stock traded down $31.36 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $726.24. 5,497,108 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,736,766. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $689.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's fifty day moving average is $781.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $854.71. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $612.70 and a fifty-two week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.34). The firm had revenue of $11.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 71.08% and a net margin of 20.48%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. 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. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.22%.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. The trade was a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.