Investors Buy Large Volume of Eli Lilly and Company Call Options (NYSE:LLY)

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Traders bought 68,757 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 54% compared to the average volume of 44,622 call options.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY traded down $3.06 on Tuesday, reaching $769.81. 1,697,594 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,656,972. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company has a market capitalization of $729.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.64, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a fifty day moving average of $771.52 and a 200-day moving average of $800.30. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $677.09 and a twelve month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.64 by ($1.30). The business had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.51% and a net margin of 22.67%. Eli Lilly and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.58 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LLY. WestEnd Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 210.0% during the first quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 31 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 180.0% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 42 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the first quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on LLY. HSBC cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "reduce" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $1,150.00 to $700.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $975.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $936.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,011.61.

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.