Willis Investment Counsel Boosts Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Willis Investment Counsel lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 109.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,770 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,314 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $15,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Steph & Co. raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 290.0% during the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 39 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 263.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 40 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and strong 2026 outlook — Lilly reported a sizable beat and issued fiscal‑2026 guidance (EPS and revenue well above consensus), which drove initial upside as investors price in sustained GLP‑1 demand. Eli Lilly shares soar after Q4 beat, strong forecast on weight-loss drugs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price‑target upgrades — Multiple firms (Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Cantor Fitzgerald among others) raised targets and reiterated overweight/buy views, reflecting confidence in Lilly’s growth runway. Eli Lilly Price Target Raised to $1,313 at Morgan Stanley
• Positive Sentiment: Capacity buildout and production push — Lilly is expanding GLP‑1 manufacturing (including large new US plants and a $3.5B Pennsylvania facility) to support volume growth and defend pricing via scale. That underpins the bullish guidance. Eli Lilly Expands GLP-1 Capacity While Building Beyond Obesity And Diabetes
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline & market share strength — Strong uptake of injectable GLP‑1s (Zepbound, Mounjaro), oral orforglipron launch plans and late‑stage assets (e.g., retatrutide) support a multi‑year growth narrative vs. peers. The Metabolic Split: Why Eli Lilly Soars as Novo Stumbles
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional repositioning — Large investor Alecta trimmed its LLY stake; typical for portfolio rebalancing but worth noting for short‑term volume. Alecta Pensionsforsakring trims Eli Lilly And Company stake
• Negative Sentiment: Low‑cost compounded GLP‑1s pressure — Hims & Hers announced a $49 compounded semaglutide pill, prompting investor concern about pricing erosion and causing an intra‑day pullback in LLY. This is the main short‑term headwind. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly fall after Hims & Hers announce $49 copy of Wegovy pill
• Negative Sentiment: Investor/litigation alerts — Recent filings and investor alerts (Scott+Scott, KSF) probing certain deals and director conduct introduce legal/PR risk that could be a distraction if they escalate. Investor Alert: Scott+Scott Investigates Eli Lilly

Analyst Ratings Changes

LLY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,050.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Truist Financial set a $1,281.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,150.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $985.00 to $1,205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $775.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,201.17.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of LLY opened at $1,053.94 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,052.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $896.17. The company has a market cap of $996.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $623.78 and a twelve month high of $1,133.95.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.48 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.85 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 31.66% and a return on equity of 112.50%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 42.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.32 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 29.35%.

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.