CENTRAL TRUST Co Reduces Stock Position in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

CENTRAL TRUST Co cut its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 43,319 shares of the company’s stock after selling 632 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $33,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 2.3%

LLY opened at $1,038.59 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $623.78 and a 52 week high of $1,133.95. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,051.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $904.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The company has a market cap of $981.86 billion, a PE ratio of 45.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.39.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.48 by $0.06. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 112.50% and a net margin of 31.66%.The company had revenue of $19.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.32 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 42.6% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.73 per share. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is currently 26.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LLY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,286.00 to $1,268.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Freedom Capital raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. CICC Research raised their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $801.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,290.00 to $1,313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $1,286.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,217.71.

Trending Headlines about Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Robust fundamentals and guidance — Lilly reported a strong Q4 beat and raised FY2026 outlook, underscoring surging GLP‑1/weight‑loss revenue and underpinning investor optimism. How to Play Eli Lilly Stock Following a Robust Q4 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Pre‑launch inventory build — Lilly filed that it has about $1.5 billion of pre‑launch inventory for its experimental oral weight‑loss pill, signaling management confidence in commercialization and readiness to capture market share if approved. Eli Lilly builds $1.5 billion stockpile of weight-loss pill ahead of FDA decision
• Positive Sentiment: M&A to expand pipeline — Lilly agreed to acquire Orna Therapeutics for up to $2.4B, adding an RNA platform that diversifies growth beyond GLP‑1s and supports longer‑term R&D optionality. Eli Lilly to acquire ‘world’s most innovative biotech startup’ for up to $2.4B
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades & institutional buying — recent upgrades (Freedom Capital to strong‑buy) and a stake increase by Fisher Asset Management reinforce buy‑side conviction. Zacks / analyst coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry tailwinds from AI and biotech momentum — broader analyst pieces highlight AI drug‑discovery and biotech sector strength that could benefit Lilly longer term, but these are thematic rather than company‑specific catalysts. 2 Biotech Stocks to Buy as AI Drug Discovery Lifts Off
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and price forecasts — multiple outlets publish bullish multi‑year forecasts and “reasons to buy” writeups; useful for sentiment but speculative for near‑term price moves. Stock Price Prediction and Forecast 2026-2030
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory binary risk — the April FDA decision on the oral weight‑loss pill is binary and could trigger significant volatility; the large pre‑launch build increases both upside on approval and downside on rejection or delays. Eli Lilly builds $1.5 billion stockpile of weight-loss pill ahead of FDA decision
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive dynamics — Novo Nordisk remains a dominant competitor in obesity drugs; market‑share battles, pricing pressure or faster rival launches could blunt Lilly’s growth trajectory. Eli Lilly vs Novo Nordisk in the Weight Loss Drug Market

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.