Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Stake Lowered by Groupe la Francaise

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise reduced its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6%, now holding 108,479 shares worth approximately $89 million.
• A variety of institutional investors have increased their holdings in Eli Lilly, notably WestEnd Advisors, which grew its stake by 210%.
• Eli Lilly's recent quarterly earnings showed a significant 37.6% revenue increase year-over-year, reporting $15.56 billion against consensus estimates of $14.40 billion.

Groupe la Francaise trimmed its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 108,479 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,900 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises 1.9% of Groupe la Francaise's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $89,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WestEnd Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 210.0% in the 1st quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 31 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its holdings 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 worth $35,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, O Brien Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $49,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. Daiwa America lowered Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Erste Group Bank downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Leerink Partners restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $715.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $950.17.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, CEO David A. Ricks acquired 1,632 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $644.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,052,264.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 546,601 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $352,431,926.77. The trade was a 0.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director J Erik Fyrwald acquired 1,565 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $642.33 per share, with a total value of $1,005,246.45. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 74,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,903,686.74. The trade was a 2.14% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 4,514 shares of company stock worth $2,894,841. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $710.7290 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $623.78 and a one year high of $972.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $754.70 and a 200-day moving average of $790.90. The company has a market capitalization of $672.68 billion, a PE ratio of 46.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.28.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $6.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.59 by $0.72. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 92.72% and a net margin of 25.91%.The company had revenue of $15.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.92 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 37.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 21.750-23.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal 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 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio is 39.22%.

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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