Vantage Investment Partners LLC Acquires 943 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Vantage Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,321 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 943 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 1.2% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Vantage Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $13,372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LLY. Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,790,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 814 shares of the company's stock valued at $628,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,639 shares of the company's stock worth $7,442,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $761,000. Finally, Level Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Level Financial Advisors now owns 423 shares of the company's stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on LLY. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $1,100.00 price target on the stock. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Eli Lilly and Company to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $1,000.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $997.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY traded up $19.51 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $823.59. The company had a trading volume of 2,641,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,922,555. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $637.00 and a 12-month high of $972.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $780.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $845.98. The company has a market cap of $781.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.04, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.34). The company had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business earned $0.10 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company's payout ratio is currently 56.22%.

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

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.