Willis Investment Counsel Purchases 3,240 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Willis Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 21.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,017 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,240 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $21,610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 81,965,974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,087,193,000 after buying an additional 1,006,885 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,361,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,002,744,000 after acquiring an additional 635,358 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,593,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,757,510,000 after buying an additional 407,166 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 15,031,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,154,619,000 after acquiring an additional 61,851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,910,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,024,022,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432,069 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, EVP Anat Hakim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,190.00, for a total transaction of $5,950,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,131,250. This trade represents a 29.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 2,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,185.01, for a total value of $2,370,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,808,325.26. This represents a 56.72% decrease in their position. 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. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.K. regulator approved Lilly’s once-daily oral weight-loss pill, Foundayo (orforglipron), giving the company a potentially important first-mover advantage for an obesity pill in Europe. The approval expands Lilly’s addressable market beyond injectable treatments such as Mounjaro and Zepbound. Eli Lilly Just Scored Europe’s First Weight Loss Pill Approval
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly is expanding its obesity pipeline with a new Phase 1 macupatide study in Japan. Although early-stage, the trial reinforces the company’s efforts to develop additional weight-management therapies and support long-term growth. Lilly Expands Obesity Pipeline With Fresh Macupatide Trial in Japan
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings showed continued operating momentum: quarterly revenue rose about 48% year over year to roughly $23 billion, while adjusted EPS beat expectations. Growth was led by Mounjaro, Zepbound and other key medicines, and management raised full-year 2026 guidance. Foundayo also generated an initial $98 million in quarterly sales. 5 Revealing Analyst Questions From Eli Lilly’s Q2 Earnings Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to view LLY as a fundamental leader, with reported price targets generally above the current trading level. However, the stock is approaching a technical buy point after a large earnings-driven advance, making valuation and chart resistance important near-term considerations. Eli Lilly Stock Nears Buy Point After Earnings-Fueled Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Insider-selling headlines may be adding pressure: executives have sold shares in recent months, including a reported 2,000-share sale by CFO and Chief Accounting Officer Donald Zakrowski. Lilly also trades at a demanding earnings multiple, leaving the stock sensitive to profit-taking or any signs of slower obesity-drug growth. Donald Zakrowski Sells 2,000 Shares of Eli Lilly Stock

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $1,182.24 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,170.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,052.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $685.15 and a 1-year high of $1,249.45.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.40 by $1.98. The business had revenue of $22.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.82 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 97.83% and a net margin of 33.53%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 47.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.31 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 36.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 23.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,119.00 to $1,232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,350.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,419.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,350.00 to $1,410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,350.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,292.18.

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.