Ameriflex Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $381,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% during the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the company's stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock traded down $6.63 on Wednesday, reaching $718.59. 2,929,417 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,620,321. The company has a 50 day moving average of $784.45 and a 200 day moving average of $801.86. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $677.09 and a 52 week high of $972.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $681.03 billion, a PE ratio of 61.37, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last announced 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 analysts' expectations of $12.77 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on LLY shares. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $892.00 to $888.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,011.37.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total value of $818,240.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 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.