CENTRAL TRUST Co Cuts Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

CENTRAL TRUST Co reduced its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,319 shares of the company’s stock after selling 632 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $33,052,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dash Acquisitions Inc. boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 485 shares of the company’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Nvest Financial LLC boosted 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 worth $1,773,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.9% during 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 during the period. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.2% in the third quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LLY shares. Freedom Capital upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $985.00 to $1,205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,300.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,217.71.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 2.3%

LLY opened at $1,038.59 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $981.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.25, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.39. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $623.78 and a 52 week high of $1,133.95. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,051.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $904.70.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.32 EPS. 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 26.14%.

Key Headlines Impacting 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 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.