World Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Eli Lilly and Company

World Investment Advisors LLC has significantly increased its investment in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) by an astonishing 1,566.8% during the third quarter of the year, as reported in its latest 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund now possesses 217,966 shares of Eli Lilly after purchasing an additional 204,889 shares throughout the quarter. This investment makes up approximately 1.1% of World Investment Advisors LLC's overall holdings, marking it as the 13th largest position in their portfolio. At the conclusion of the reporting period, the value of World Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Eli Lilly stood at $193,105,000.

Several other large investment firms have also altered their positions in Eli Lilly recently. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings by a remarkable 87,091.7% in the third quarter, now controlling 12,463,182 shares valued at $11,041,631,000 after acquiring an additional 12,448,888 shares. UBS AM, a part of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC, increased its stake by 2.6%, owning 6,115,504 shares worth $5,417,970,000 after obtaining 157,741 additional shares. Fisher Asset Management LLC expanded its shareholdings by 3.5%, now holding 5,058,101 shares valued at $4,481,175,000 following an addition of 169,391 shares.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has also enhanced its position in Eli Lilly by 5.0%, now owning 3,581,075 shares valued at $3,242,296,000 after acquiring 171,595 shares. Lastly, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake by 0.7% during the second quarter, now controlling 3,027,901 shares worth $2,741,832,000 after purchasing an additional 22,392 shares. It is noteworthy that institutional investors and hedge funds collectively hold 82.53% of the company's stock.

Recent Analyst Ratings

Several research analysts have recently shared their insights regarding Eli Lilly shares. Truist Financial updated their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,033.00, maintaining a "buy" rating as of October 10th. Citigroup raised its price target on Eli Lilly from $1,060.00 to $1,250.00, also assigning a "buy" rating on October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Eli Lilly, giving it an "outperform" rating with a $1,100.00 target price on October 17th. Redburn Atlantic subsequently upgraded Eli Lilly to a "hold" rating on November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company enhanced their price target for Eli Lilly from $875.00 to $1,000.00, providing an "overweight" rating on August 9th. Overall, four analysts have issued a hold rating, whereas seventeen analysts recommend a buy, resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $1,007.94 according to MarketBeat.com.

Eli Lilly's Stock Performance

On the trading floor, Eli Lilly's stock opened at $826.66 recently. The company's shares have fluctuated, with a fifty-two-week low of $561.65 and a high of $972.53. Currently, the firm's 50-day simple moving average stands at $843.71, while the 200-day simple moving average is at $870.75. Eli Lilly has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27, and a quick ratio of 0.97. With a market capitalization of $784.76 billion, the company has a P/E ratio of 89.37 and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14, alongside a beta of 0.41.

Q3 Earnings Report and Dividend Announcement

Diving into its financial performance, Eli Lilly published its quarterly earnings data on October 30th, revealing earnings of $1.18 per share, which was below the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.34. For this quarter, the firm reported revenue of $11.44 billion, which fell short of analysts' expectations of $12.09 billion. In comparison to the same quarter the previous year, Eli Lilly's revenue increased by 20.4%. Analysts predict that the company will have an EPS of 13.21 for the current year.

Additionally, Eli Lilly announced a quarterly dividend that is set to be distributed on December 10th. Shareholders on record as of November 15th will receive a dividend payout of $1.30 per share. This reflects an annualized dividend of $5.20, yielding 0.63%. The ex-dividend date is also November 15th, and the company's current dividend payout ratio sits at 56.22%.

Insider Trading Activity

In insider trading news, Chief Accounting Officer Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of Eli Lilly stock on November 8th at an average price of $803.38, amounting to a total transaction value of $723,042. Following this sale, he retains ownership of 5,480 shares valued at approximately $4,402,522.40. This sale represents a 14.11% reduction in his ownership. The details of this transaction were filed with the SEC and can be accessed through public records.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company is engaged in discovering, developing, and marketing human pharmaceuticals globally. The company is well-known for its range of products, including diabetes medications like Basaglar, Humalog, and Trulicity, as well as treatments for obesity.

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