Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Up 3.1% - Time to Buy?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 3.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $763.50 and last traded at $745.86. Approximately 1,262,737 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 3,330,913 shares. The stock had previously closed at $723.73.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $892.00 to $888.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup lowered their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,017.67.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $837.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $823.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $693.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.48, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.51.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% during the fourth quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company 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.