Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 7,815 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 781,929 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,815 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company comprises 0.8% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $942,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 81,965,974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,087,193,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006,885 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,361,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,002,744,000 after purchasing an additional 635,358 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,593,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,757,510,000 after purchasing an additional 407,166 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 15,031,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,154,619,000 after purchasing an additional 61,851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,910,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,024,022,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432,069 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

Here are the key news stories impacting Eli Lilly and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Obesity portfolio remains the main catalyst. Lilly’s Zepbound sales reportedly increased 46%, while recent coverage indicates its GLP-1 portfolio is outpacing Novo Nordisk’s in the latest quarter. Investors are also watching oral obesity candidates and retatrutide as potential sources of future growth. How Does LLY’s Q2 GLP-1 Portfolio Performance Stack Up Against NVO’s?
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline activity continues across several therapeutic areas. Lilly advanced early-stage studies involving LY4178256, eloralintide, lepodisiran and oral candidate LY4065967, while completing a Phase 3 lebrikizumab trial in atopic dermatitis. These updates do not provide immediate revenue, but they reinforce the company’s longer-term growth prospects. Lilly’s Lebrikizumab Trial Completion Signals New Growth Path
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals remain strong. Lilly’s latest quarterly earnings and revenue substantially exceeded consensus estimates, with revenue rising 47.7% year over year. Analysts continue to cite GLP-1 momentum and a broad pipeline as reasons for a constructive long-term outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Lehigh Valley construction plans emphasize traffic mitigation. Lilly outlined measures intended to reduce disruption from construction, an operational update that may ease local execution concerns but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Eli Lilly Lehigh Valley Construction Plans
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and competition are weighing on sentiment. With LLY valued above $1 trillion and trading at a high earnings multiple, investors may be taking profits after its recent rally. Novo Nordisk and potential entrants such as Pfizer are intensifying the race for oral and next-generation obesity treatments, raising future pricing and market-share risks. Can Eli Lilly Catch Novo Nordisk in the Oral GLP-1 Race?

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $1,246.89 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,177.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,058.43. The company has a market cap of $1.17 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $694.23 and a 12-month high of $1,292.65.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.40 by $1.98. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 33.53% and a return on equity of 97.83%. The firm had revenue of $22.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.31 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 47.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 36.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.22%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total value of $7,638,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,147 shares in the company, valued at $63,628,139.70. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Anat Hakim sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,190.00, for a total value of $5,950,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,131,250. This represents a 29.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock valued at $15,958,170. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LLY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,330.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,119.00 to $1,232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. UBS Group set a $1,376.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,350.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,292.18.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company founded in 1876 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and therapies for patients worldwide. Eli Lilly maintains operations and commercial presence across North America, Europe, Asia and other regions, serving both developed and emerging markets. The company has been led in recent years by President and Chief Executive Officer David A.