Natixis Advisors LLC Acquires 84,977 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC has increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 15.2%, acquiring a total of 645,846 shares, which represents 1.0% of the firm's holdings.
• Several large investors have also boosted their positions in Eli Lilly, with WestEnd Advisors LLC increasing its stake by 210.0% in the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock; while HSBC downgraded it from "buy" to "reduce," the overall consensus rating remains a moderate "buy" with an average target price of $1,012.56.

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 15.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 645,846 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 84,977 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 1.0% of Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of Eli Lilly and Company worth $533,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 103,831.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,866,380 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,278,292,000 after purchasing an additional 14,852,076 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,730,758 shares of the company's stock worth $6,740,272,000 after purchasing an additional 1,645,222 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,757,511 shares of the company's stock worth $8,304,811,000 after acquiring an additional 1,493,673 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,448,219 shares of the company's stock worth $7,294,025,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204,337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 7,084,880 shares of the company's stock worth $5,469,527,000 after acquiring an additional 969,376 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE LLY traded down $3.19 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $759.76. The stock had a trading volume of 4,331,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,949,040. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $774.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $800.13. The firm has a market cap of $720.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.40. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $677.09 and a fifty-two week high of $972.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.64 by ($1.30). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.51% and a net margin of 22.67%. The company had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.58 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $1,135.00 target price (up previously from $1,133.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $936.00 to $942.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $892.00 to $888.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,012.56.

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.