Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Shares Sold by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson reduced its stake in Eli Lilly by 13.0% in Q4, selling 34,339 shares and leaving 230,021 shares worth about $247.2 million, which represented roughly 2.4% of its portfolio and Lilly's fourth-largest position.
• Corporate catalysts include FDA approval of Foundayo (orforglipron), a once-daily oral GLP‑1 for obesity, and Lilly’s agreement to buy Centessa for an initial ~$6.3 billion (up to ~$7.8 billion with milestones), expanding the company’s weight‑loss and sleep/narcolepsy franchises.
• Market sentiment is bullish: traders show unusually large call‑option activity, Wall Street Zen upgraded Lilly to a "strong‑buy," and analysts’ consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target around $1,221.26.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lessened its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 230,021 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,339 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for approximately 2.4% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.'s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $247,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,597 shares of the company's stock worth $7,409,000 after purchasing an additional 1,730 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,471 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,136,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 16.7% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 7,993 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,231,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares during the last quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.6% during the second quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,398 shares of the company's stock worth $1,090,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,592,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: FDA approves Foundayo (orforglipron), Lilly’s once‑daily oral GLP‑1 for obesity — expands the company’s weight‑loss franchise with an easy‑to‑scale pill that the company plans to sell via LillyDirect (low advertised self‑pay price and payer coverage could accelerate adoption). Lilly's weight-loss pill wins US approval (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly agreed to buy Centessa (initial ~$6.3B, up to ~$7.8B with milestones), broadening into sleep‑wake and narcolepsy assets — strategic diversification that reduces reliance on GLP‑1 revenue and bolsters mid‑term growth optionality. Eli Lilly to Buy Centessa (CNBC)
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call‑option volume and targeted bullish trades around LLY indicate investor enthusiasm and short‑term upside conviction following the FDA approval and M&A news. This derivatives activity can amplify near‑term price moves. Options Traders Pick Up Pharma Stock After Eli Lilly Buyout (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive dynamics: Novo Nordisk is responding (subscription pricing, product tweaks) and remains a formidable rival in GLP‑1s — Foundayo’s approval intensifies the duel but outcomes depend on clinical preference, pricing, and payer decisions. Wegovy vs. Foundayo (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk: Lilly’s CEO publicly opposed codifying the Trump administration’s Most Favored Nations drug‑pricing deals into law — signals potential tension with government pricing initiatives that could affect future pricing/reimbursement. Lilly opposes MFN codification (CNBC)
• Negative Sentiment: Deal scrutiny: a law firm has opened an investor probe into the Centessa sale price/process — potential legal or shareholder hurdles could slow closing or create contingencies tied to the transaction. Centessa investor alert (BusinessWire)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on LLY. Wall Street Zen upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $1,300.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $1,260.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,221.26.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY opened at $955.45 on Thursday. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $623.78 and a fifty-two week high of $1,133.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $999.28 and a 200 day moving average of $966.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market cap of $902.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.63, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.51.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.48 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $19.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.85 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 31.66% and a return on equity of 102.94%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 42.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.32 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

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.

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