Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

Key Points

• KBC Group NV cut its Eli Lilly stake by 18.2% in the first quarter, selling 127,814 shares and leaving it with 576,203 shares valued at about $530 million.
• Wall Street remains bullish on LLY, with several analysts raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target of $1,283.64.
• Eli Lilly continues to show strong fundamentals and pipeline expansion, including a better-than-expected quarterly earnings beat, a new quarterly dividend, and news of its planned acquisition of AtaiBeckley to broaden its neuroscience and psychedelic therapy pipeline.

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 18.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 576,203 shares of the company's stock after selling 127,814 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 1.3% of KBC Group NV's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.06% of Eli Lilly and Company worth $529,975,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 635,358 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 407,166 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its position in 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 worth $16,154,619,000 after acquiring an additional 61,851 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 10.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,432,069 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company's stock.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lilly’s acquisition of AtaiBeckley adds late-stage psychedelic assets, including BPL-003, and broadens its neuroscience pipeline. Lilly to acquire AtaiBeckley to advance therapies for treatment-resistant depression and other mental health conditions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary say the deal reinforces Big Pharma’s interest in psychedelic therapies and could strengthen Lilly’s long-term growth story beyond obesity and diabetes. AtaiBeckley acquisition highlights growing Big Pharma interest in psychedelics, says Jefferies
• Neutral Sentiment: Lilly also announced an update on an ongoing ALS study, indicating continued clinical development activity across its broader pipeline. Lilly Expands ALS Pipeline With Long-Term Safety Study for LY4256984
• Neutral Sentiment: LLY stock is being described as holding near a buy zone and key support ahead of second-quarter results, suggesting investors are also watching upcoming earnings for confirmation of the growth outlook. Eli Lilly Stock Hovers In Buy Zone, Finds Key Support Amid $3 Billion Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary suggests the acquisition may pressure sentiment in the near term because Lilly is paying a significant price for an asset that still carries clinical and regulatory risk. This Psychedelic Pharma Stock Is Soaring 50% on Report of Eli Lilly Takeover Talks

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on LLY shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,330.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Leerink Partners lifted 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 report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" 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 issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,283.64.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of LLY opened at $1,178.01 on Monday. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $623.78 and a fifty-two week high of $1,249.45. The company's fifty day moving average is $1,118.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,036.51. The firm has a market cap of $1.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 41.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.51. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.97 by $1.58. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 105.77% and a net margin of 34.98%.The business had revenue of $19.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.34 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 34.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

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

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.

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