Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Trading 2.5% Higher – Still a Buy?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) shares traded up 2.5% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $848.13 and last traded at $840.46. 5,079,870 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 23% from the average session volume of 4,129,429 shares. The stock had previously closed at $819.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $830.00 price target (down previously from $970.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $700.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. Leerink Partners restated a “market perform” rating and set a $715.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $700.00 to $800.00 in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $938.94.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 2.5%

The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The company has a market cap of $795.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.93, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $734.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $765.98.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $6.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.72. The business had revenue of $15.56 billion during 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.92 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 21.750-23.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Daniel Skovronsky acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $634.40 per share, for a total transaction of $634,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,660 shares in the company, valued at $87,331,504. This represents a 0.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jamere Jackson acquired 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $639.56 per share, with a total value of $127,912.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,402 shares in the company, valued at $6,013,143.12. The trade was a 2.17% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 4,514 shares of company stock worth $2,894,841 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Hixon Zuercher LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% during the first quarter. Hixon Zuercher LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,477,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Ascent Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.5% in the first quarter. Ascent Capital Management LLC now owns 495 shares of the company’s stock worth $409,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.7% in the first quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 493 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.