Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,007 shares of the company’s stock after selling 80 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $777,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Umpqua Bank grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 190.9% during the 4th quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 4,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,261,000 after purchasing an additional 2,873 shares during the last quarter. Forefront Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $293,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,304,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,779,412,000 after purchasing an additional 41,195 shares during the last quarter. Plancorp LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 12,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,716,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $506,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup lowered their target price 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $1,146.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.72.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY opened at $839.44 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market cap of $795.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.69, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50-day moving average of $835.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $839.05. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its 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 return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. As a group, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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.