Bessemer Group Inc. Boosts Position in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. increased its Eli Lilly stake by 46.2% in Q1, adding 272,187 shares and bringing its total holding to 860,704 shares valued at about $791.7 million.
• Wall Street remains bullish on Eli Lilly, with several firms raising price targets; the stock currently carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average target price of $1,283.64.
• Eli Lilly reported strong fundamentals, including quarterly EPS of $8.55 versus $6.97 expected and revenue of $19.8 billion, while also announcing a $1.73 quarterly dividend.

Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 46.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 860,704 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 272,187 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company makes up 1.2% of Bessemer Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.09% of Eli Lilly and Company worth $791,652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLY has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,300.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,500.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,281.00 to $1,370.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,344.00 to $1,347.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,283.64.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $1,172.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,114.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,035.81. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $623.78 and a 12-month high of $1,249.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.65, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.51.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.97 by $1.58. The firm had revenue of $19.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.82 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 105.77% and a net margin of 34.98%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 55.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.34 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-37.000 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 34.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.58%.

Trending Headlines about Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lilly’s acquisition of AtaiBeckley strengthens its neuroscience pipeline and adds exposure to treatment-resistant depression and other mental health markets. Lilly to acquire AtaiBeckley to advance therapies for treatment-resistant depression and other mental health conditions
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street notes also turned more bullish on Lilly, with UBS and other firms raising price targets and pointing to continued momentum in Lilly’s GLP-1 and broader pipeline. Eli Lilly Likely to See More Momentum in GLP-1 Pipeline, UBS Says
• Neutral Sentiment: The acquisition comes amid mixed competitive headlines in obesity drugs, including Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy approval in Europe, which highlights the rivalry in Lilly’s core growth areas. Novo Nordisk Stock Rises After Wegovy Pill Captured 89% of U.S. Prescriptions
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary suggests Lilly is paying a rich price for a still-early-stage psychedelic asset, which may raise questions about clinical risk and return on investment if the programs do not deliver. Eli Lilly to Buy AtaiBeckley for Initial $2.8 Billion

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.