Howard Capital Management Inc. Has $5.81 Million Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,530 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 392 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $5,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 92,759.9% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,022,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $905,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021,287 shares during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 37,140.7% in the third quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 694,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,990,000 after purchasing an additional 692,303 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 126,531.5% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 678,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $523,991,000 after purchasing an additional 678,209 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 599.9% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 430,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,710,000 after purchasing an additional 369,293 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 257.1% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 437,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $387,690,000 after purchasing an additional 315,065 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on LLY. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $975.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

NYSE LLY opened at $874.12 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $711.40 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $801.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $847.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $828.82 billion, a PE ratio of 74.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.