Merit Financial Group LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,469 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,039 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $26,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LLY. Guidance Capital Inc. lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.9% during the third quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 1,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Balentine LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 150.1% in the 3rd quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 4,042 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,084,000 after buying an additional 2,426 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 359,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,025,000 after acquiring an additional 30,128 shares during the last quarter. Glenview Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 190,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,590,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the period. Finally, Southeast Asset Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 562.4% during the 3rd quarter. Southeast Asset Advisors LLC now owns 4,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,270,000 after acquiring an additional 3,639 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $1,040.12 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,053.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $910.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.58. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $623.78 and a 1 year high of $1,133.95. The company has a market capitalization of $981.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.39.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.48 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.85 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 31.66% and a return on equity of 102.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 42.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.32 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 30.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. CICC Research boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,107.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $985.00 to $1,205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,200.00 to $1,285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $1,281.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,218.88.

Eli Lilly and Company News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lilly announced a roughly $1 billion AI investment aimed at accelerating drug discovery and strengthening its pipeline beyond GLP‑1 drugs; analysts and retail investors view this as a structural growth lever that supports longer‑term revenue diversification and investor enthusiasm following the Q4 beat. Why Eli Lilly’s $1 Billion AI Bet Could Reshape Drug Discovery
• Positive Sentiment: Topline results from the Phase 3 LIBRETTO‑432 trial show Retevmo (selpercatinib) delivered a highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in event‑free survival as adjuvant therapy in early‑stage RET fusion‑positive NSCLC — a clear clinical win that expands Lilly’s oncology franchise and increases future revenue/pipeline value. Lilly’s Retevmo (selpercatinib) delivers substantial event-free survival benefit
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly has built about $1.5 billion of inventory of a weight‑loss pill ahead of a planned global launch this summer, signaling commercial readiness and management’s expectation of strong demand that could accelerate near‑term revenue growth. Eli Lilly (LLY) Builds $1.5 Billion Inventory of Weight-Loss Pill
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Lilly’s strategic moves beyond GLP‑1s — including RNA cancer programs, AI‑enabled discovery and obesity R&D — which reduce single‑product risk and support a multi‑pillar growth narrative. Eli Lilly Expands Beyond GLP-1 With RNA Cancer AI And Obesity Bets
• Neutral Sentiment: Lilly will participate in TD Cowen’s Health Care Conference on March 2 (CFO Lucas Montarce to speak); investors will watch for management commentary and any updated guidance or details on commercialization plans. Lilly to participate in TD Cowen’s 46th Annual Health Care Conference

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.