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

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 6.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 34,469 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,039 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $26,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 114.3% in the second quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. now owns 77,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,253,000 after purchasing an additional 41,222 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 189.6% during the 3rd quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,283,000 after purchasing an additional 11,396 shares during the last quarter. Rede Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $487,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 8,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,859,000 after buying an additional 1,843 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 26.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,392,000 after buying an additional 5,591 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LLY. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,300.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,200.00 to $1,285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. 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, February 5th. Three investment 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.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,218.88.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $1,040.12 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market cap of $981.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.32, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $1,053.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $910.46. 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 quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 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 102.94%. The company had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.32 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 42.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $1.73 per share. This is an increase 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 30.15%.

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.