Eli Lilly and Company Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LLY)

Key Points

• Eli Lilly experienced a significant increase in call options trading, with a total of 92,428 call options purchased, marking a 44% rise compared to its average daily volume.
• Research analysts have provided mixed ratings on Eli Lilly, with ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Neutral," and a general average price target of $939.61.
• Insider transactions show that company directors have recently bought shares, collectively acquiring over 4,500 shares valued at nearly $2.9 million, indicating confidence in the company's future performance.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 92,428 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 44% compared to the average daily volume of 64,160 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $700.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Sunday, August 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $975.00 to $825.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $1,135.00 price target (up from $1,133.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $675.00 to $700.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $939.61.

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, Director Jamere Jackson bought 200 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $639.56 per share, with a total value of $127,912.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,013,143.12. This represents a 2.17% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gabrielle Sulzberger bought 117 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $641.18 per share, for a total transaction of $75,018.06. Following the acquisition, the director owned 2,703 shares in the company, valued at $1,733,109.54. The trade was a 4.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 4,514 shares of company stock valued at $2,894,841 in the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LLY. Farmers Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 25.8% in the third quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 614 shares of the company's stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Praxis Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.3% during the third quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,336,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Hobart Private Capital LLC raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 26.3% during the third quarter. Hobart Private Capital LLC now owns 2,753 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,101,000 after buying an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. Rydar Equities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter worth about $1,250,000. Finally, Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 27.1% in the second quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,083 shares of the company's stock worth $844,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

LLY traded up $64.97 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $827.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,089,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,105,888. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $623.78 and a fifty-two week high of $937.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $783.64 billion, a PE ratio of 53.88, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $733.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $765.96.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $6.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.59 by $0.72. The firm had revenue of $15.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 92.72% and a net margin of 25.91%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 37.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.92 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 21.750-23.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

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.

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