Sapient Capital LLC Grows Stake in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Sapient Capital LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 2.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,478,787 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 31,247 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 23.7% of Sapient Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Sapient Capital LLC owned about 0.16% of Eli Lilly and Company worth $1,711,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LLY. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Maseco LLP lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 466.7% during the first quarter. Maseco LLP now owns 34 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Aventus Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 270.0% during the first quarter. Aventus Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 60.0% in the first quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 40 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock traded down $18.95 during trading on Thursday, hitting $1,169.77. 3,090,036 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,974,879. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,173.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,096.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.25, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $783.85 and a 52-week high of $1,292.65.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.40 by $1.98. The company had revenue of $22.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.82 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 33.53% and a return on equity of 97.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 47.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.31 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 36.66 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Higher analyst price target: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target for Eli Lilly from $1,410 to $1,440 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying substantial upside from recent levels. Benzinga report
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline diversification remains a key bullish argument. Investors are highlighting next-generation obesity candidate retatrutide, which has shown greater weight loss in trials than Zepbound and could be filed with regulators in 2027. Lilly is also expanding its early-stage Alzheimer’s research and testing obesity drug eloralintide alongside birth control. Eli Lilly obesity business article
• Positive Sentiment: Growth extends beyond GLP-1 drugs. Jaypirca, Inluriyo and Retevmo could support oncology growth, while a new research and licensing agreement with InnoCare covers as many as five drug targets. Commentators argue that Lilly’s manufacturing expansion and broad pipeline create a growth flywheel beyond Mounjaro and Zepbound. Lilly oncology portfolio article
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical support is being watched. A move around the 50-day moving average may signal short-term stabilization, but technical indicators do not resolve the stock’s valuation or fundamental risks. LLY moving average analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and competition are weighing on sentiment. Lilly trades at a premium multiple, leaving the shares sensitive to pricing pressure, increased competition in obesity medicines and any slowdown in GLP-1 demand. New WHO childhood-obesity guidance may also create uncertainty around how these therapies are used in younger patients. WHO obesity guidance article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,370.00 to $1,376.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,410.00 to $1,440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group set a $1,376.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,313.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total value of $7,638,150.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 54,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,628,139.70. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Anat Hakim sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,190.00, for a total value of $5,950,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,131,250. The trade was a 29.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock valued at $15,958,170. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly, the company researches, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cancer, immunological disorders, neurological diseases and pain.

Its products include Mounjaro and Zepbound, which contain tirzepatide and are used for type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management, respectively. Other key medicines include Trulicity for diabetes, Verzenio for certain breast cancers, Taltz for inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, Humalog insulin, and Kisunla for early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.