Bragg Financial Advisors Inc Increases Stake in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Key Points

• Bragg Financial Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.1% during the first quarter, bringing their investment to approximately $10.33 million with a total of 12,508 shares.
• Several institutional investors have also boosted their stakes in Eli Lilly, with notable increases, including a 22.0% rise from Brighton Jones LLC in the fourth quarter.
• After a recent earnings report, Eli Lilly's quarterly report surpassed estimates with an earnings per share (EPS) of $6.31, which is significantly higher than the consensus estimate of $5.59.

Bragg Financial Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,508 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 495 shares during the quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc's holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $10,330,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. WestEnd Advisors LLC raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 210.0% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 180.0% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, O Brien Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 25.5% in the 1st quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 59 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLY has been the subject of several research reports. HSBC downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "reduce" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $1,150.00 to $700.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,050.00 to $895.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 8th. DZ Bank raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Leerink Partners reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $715.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $950.17.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY traded up $0.9090 on Friday, reaching $710.7290. 3,217,264 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,973,298. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $623.78 and a 1-year high of $972.48. The firm has a market cap of $672.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $754.70 and a 200-day moving average of $790.90.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Eli Lilly and Company's payout ratio is currently 39.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gabrielle Sulzberger bought 117 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were bought 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 approximately $1,733,109.54. This trade represents a 4.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director J Erik Fyrwald bought 1,565 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $642.33 per share, for a total transaction of $1,005,246.45. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 74,578 shares in the company, valued at $47,903,686.74. This represents a 2.14% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 4,514 shares of company stock worth $2,894,841. 0.13% of the stock is 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.