USS Investment Management Ltd Reduces Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd has significantly reduced its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 14.8%, now holding 136,088 shares, valued at approximately $112.35 million.
• Several hedge funds have recently increased their positions in Eli Lilly, with WestEnd Advisors increasing their stake by 210%, reflecting a growing interest among institutional investors.
• Eli Lilly's stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with recent target price adjustments bringing it down to $825 by Cantor Fitzgerald, while maintaining a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

USS Investment Management Ltd reduced its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 14.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 136,088 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,626 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for 0.9% of USS Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $112,354,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WestEnd Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, TD Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 129.2% in the 1st quarter. TD Capital Management LLC now owns 55 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of LLY traded up $11.35 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $749.99. The stock had a trading volume of 2,983,536 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,135,773. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $623.78 and a 1-year high of $942.35. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $743.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $779.63. The company has a market cap of $709.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.02, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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, 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.92 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company's quarterly revenue 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 research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LLY. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $975.00 to $825.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $950.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CEO David A. Ricks purchased 1,632 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $644.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,052,264.64. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 546,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $352,431,926.77. This represents a 0.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director J Erik Fyrwald purchased 1,565 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $642.33 per share, for a total transaction of $1,005,246.45. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 74,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $47,903,686.74. This represents a 2.14% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 4,514 shares of company stock valued at $2,894,841 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.