Candriam S.C.A. Sells 43,358 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 8.3%, selling 43,358 shares, and now holds approximately 480,854 shares worth $397.14 million.
• Despite the stake reduction by Candriam, several other institutional investors, including WestEnd Advisors LLC and Citizens National Bank Trust Department, increased their holdings significantly during the first quarter.
• Eli Lilly reported strong quarterly earnings with $6.31 earnings per share, surpassing estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share scheduled for September 10th.

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 8.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 480,854 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,358 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company makes up approximately 2.5% of Candriam S.C.A.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.05% of Eli Lilly and Company worth $397,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LLY. WestEnd Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 210.0% during 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. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, O Brien Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 25.5% during the first quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 59 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company's stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $703.5670 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $623.78 and a twelve month high of $972.53. The stock has a market cap of $665.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.44. The company's fifty day moving average is $760.97 and its 200 day moving average is $793.02.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio is 39.22%.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, Director Gabrielle Sulzberger acquired 117 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $641.18 per share, with a total value of $75,018.06. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,733,109.54. This trade represents a 4.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel Skovronsky acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $634.40 per share, for a total transaction of $634,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,331,504. This represents a 0.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 4,514 shares of company stock worth $2,894,841. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partnrs cut Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $1,135.00 price objective (up from $1,133.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $950.17.

About Eli Lilly and Company

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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