Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Shares Sold by Westpac Banking Corp

Westpac Banking Corp reduced its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,703 shares of the company’s stock after selling 519 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for about 0.9% of Westpac Banking Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $12,604,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Maseco LLP lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 466.7% during the first quarter. Maseco LLP now owns 34 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 342.9% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 31 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LLY. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,281.00 to $1,370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,251.00 to $1,334.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,230.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,300.00 to $1,385.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,283.64.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces highlighted Lilly’s leadership in GLP-1 obesity treatments, its expanding pipeline, and the view that its growth outlook remains strong despite intensifying competition from Novo Nordisk.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-focused coverage continued to point to Lilly’s momentum from Zepbound and Mounjaro, with investors still treating the company as a core winner in the fast-growing weight-loss and diabetes market.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader healthcare stocks also moved higher, which likely provided a supportive backdrop for Eli Lilly shares during the session.
• Neutral Sentiment: Eli Lilly defended its advertising, saying its comparisons are based on the SURMOUNT-5 trial, while noting Novo’s criticism centers on the use of older dose comparisons rather than direct head-to-head data.
• Negative Sentiment: Novo Nordisk sued Eli Lilly in U.S. federal court, accusing the company of false and misleading advertising for Zepbound and Mounjaro and seeking to stop the ads, force corrective marketing, and recover damages. Reuters article about the lawsuit

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $1,175.15 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 41.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.51. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $623.78 and a fifty-two week high of $1,249.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,126.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,037.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $19.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.34 earnings per share. 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 34.55 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors 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 (DPR) is 24.58%.

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.