Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Eli Lilly and Company Call Options (NYSE:LLY)

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 57,514 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 26% compared to the typical daily volume of 45,678 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,011.37.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. This trade represents a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LLY. WestEnd Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 180.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company's stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock traded up $19.97 on Thursday, hitting $735.53. The stock had a trading volume of 3,742,140 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,574,490. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $677.09 and a one year high of $972.53. The stock has a market cap of $697.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.81, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $801.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $808.28.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.64 by ($1.30). The company had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.77 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 23.51% and a return on equity of 85.24%. The business's revenue was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.82%.

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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