Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 42,832 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,226,699 shares of the company’s stock after selling 42,832 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,128,282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 84.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 35 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Maseco LLP grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 466.7% in the first quarter. Maseco LLP now owns 34 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target on Eli Lilly to $1,273 and reiterated a Buy rating, reinforcing Wall Street’s confidence in the company’s growth outlook. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Eli Lilly is presenting new Kisunla data at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, giving investors another potential pipeline catalyst beyond its blockbuster weight-loss drugs. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around Eli Lilly’s obesity drugs continues to highlight how important the franchise is to revenue, with two products now generating nearly two-thirds of sales — a reminder of the company’s scale and earnings power. The Motley Fool
• Neutral Sentiment: Cathie Wood’s ARK funds added Eli Lilly alongside other large-cap names, which may signal continued institutional interest but is not a direct company-specific catalyst. Yahoo Finance
• Neutral Sentiment: Social-media and trading chatter remains upbeat, with investors citing upgraded targets and biotech momentum, but these comments are sentiment-driven rather than new fundamental disclosures. Quiver Quantitative
• Neutral Sentiment: A 247WallSt piece argues there may be a new under-the-radar catalyst in Eli Lilly’s pipeline, but it is largely speculative and not a confirmed development. 247WallSt

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY stock opened at $1,185.71 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,103.63 and a 200-day moving average of $1,034.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 trillion, a P/E ratio of 42.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.51. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $623.78 and a 12 month high of $1,249.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $1.58. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 34.98% and a return on equity of 105.77%. The business had revenue of $19.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.34 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company’s revenue was up 55.5% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-37.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 35.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $880.00 to $900.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,350.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,268.78.

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.