Willis Investment Counsel Raises Stock Position in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Willis Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 109.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Dash Acquisitions Inc. increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Nvest Financial LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the second quarter. Nvest Financial LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,773,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.9% in the second quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC now owns 699 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.2% during the third quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Eli Lilly and Company

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

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America reduced their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,286.00 to $1,268.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Loop Capital set a $950.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, November 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $976.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,200.00 to $1,280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,201.17.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $1,053.94 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,052.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $896.17. The stock has a market cap of $996.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.86, a PEG 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 12 month low of $623.78 and a 12 month high of $1,133.95.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.48 by $0.06. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 31.66% and a return on equity of 112.50%. The company had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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, analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued 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 yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.35%.

About Eli Lilly and Company

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.