Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Shares Acquired by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 7.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 19,272 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,255 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $22,299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LLY. Boyd Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter worth $520,000. Focused Alpha LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 142.1% during the third quarter. Focused Alpha LLC now owns 983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,137,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares during the last quarter. tru Independence LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 7.3% during the third quarter. tru Independence LLC now owns 427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $494,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC now owns 4,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,551,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Mayfair Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,636,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $1,400.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,419.00 to $1,430.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group set a $1,376.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,400.00 to $1,500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,273.00 to $1,284.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,317.93.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:LLY opened at $1,271.89 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.68, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.46. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $793.82 and a 1-year high of $1,311.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,182.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,116.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.40 by $1.98. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 97.83% and a net margin of 33.53%. The firm had revenue of $22.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 47.7% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 33.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Higher analyst target and expected earnings strength: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $1,413 from $1,371 while maintaining a Buy rating. The firm reportedly expects Eli Lilly to beat third-quarter estimates and raise its outlook, supported by international Mounjaro growth and Zepbound volume gains. Goldman Sachs raises Eli Lilly price target
• Positive Sentiment: International manufacturing expansion: Eli Lilly signed Abu Dhabi agreements involving local packaging and advanced pharmaceutical contract manufacturing for weight-loss medicines. The company also entered a drug-delivery partnership with China’s Metis TechBio valued at up to $1.1 billion, potentially strengthening supply capacity and product-delivery capabilities. Eli Lilly Abu Dhabi packaging deal
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline expansion: One-year Phase 3 SHINE-2 data showed Omvoh sustained clinical-remission benefits in children with ulcerative colitis, including patients who had previously failed biologic treatments. Regulatory approval could expand Lilly’s inflammatory bowel disease franchise. Pediatric ulcerative colitis data
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong growth, but pricing is a key upcoming issue: Second-quarter revenue increased 48% to approximately $23 billion as medicine volume rose 60%, while realized price per unit declined 13%. Investors will focus on whether continued demand and volume growth can offset pricing pressure when third-quarter results are released on October 29. Eli Lilly volume and pricing analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and valuation risks: Novo Nordisk’s CagriSema produced 25% weight loss in women, reinforcing competitive pressure in the obesity-treatment market. After a substantial rally and record valuation, investors may also be taking profits or demanding stronger evidence that Lilly’s growth can justify its premium multiple. Novo Nordisk CagriSema results

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, EVP Anat Hakim sold 5,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,875 shares in the company, valued at $14,131,250. This represents a 29.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total transaction of $7,638,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,628,139.70. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 13,500 shares of company stock valued at $15,958,170 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of medical conditions. Its major therapeutic areas include diabetes and obesity, oncology, immunology, neuroscience and cardiovascular health.

The company’s portfolio includes Mounjaro and Trulicity for diabetes, Zepbound for chronic weight management, Humalog insulin, Taltz for inflammatory diseases, Verzenio for certain breast cancers and Kisunla for early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.