Equities researchers at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and (NYSE:LLY – Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a "buy" rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on LLY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and from $380.00 to $400.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Societe Generale cut shares of Eli Lilly and from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $278.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. Cowen increased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 5th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and from $399.00 to $401.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Eli Lilly and from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $360.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Monday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $382.05.

Eli Lilly and Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE LLY traded down $0.35 during trading on Thursday, hitting $329.18. The stock had a trading volume of 8,679,808 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,257,667. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $335.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $341.18. The company has a market capitalization of $312.82 billion, a PE ratio of 47.71, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Eli Lilly and has a 12 month low of $276.83 and a 12 month high of $384.44.

Eli Lilly and (NYSE:LLY – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Eli Lilly and had a net margin of 21.88% and a return on equity of 73.61%. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.49 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and will post 8.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and

In other news, EVP Anne E. White sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.76, for a total value of $856,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 60,426 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,711,615.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LLY. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Eli Lilly and by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 39,673 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,514,000 after acquiring an additional 4,083 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 1,310 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Eli Lilly and by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 5,188 shares of the company's stock worth $1,898,000 after purchasing an additional 588 shares during the period. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and by 21.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,617 shares of the company's stock worth $1,694,000 after purchasing an additional 824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Retirement Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,924,000. 82.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

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Eli Lilly & Co engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products. The firm's products consist of diabetes, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and other products and therapies. The company was founded by Eli Lilly in May 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.

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