Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Stock Price Down 4.4% - Time to Sell?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 4.4% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $739.08 and last traded at $742.27. 2,293,596 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 3,485,580 shares. The stock had previously closed at $776.72.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "reduce" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $1,150.00 to $700.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,002.80.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 2.0 %

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 company has a market capitalization of $697.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.87, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $810.98 and a 200-day moving average of $810.88.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.64 by ($1.30). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. The company had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.58 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Eli Lilly and Company's payout ratio is 48.82%.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LLY. WestEnd Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 210.0% in the first quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 31 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 180.0% in the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 42 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.