Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Stake Reduced by Vestcor Inc

Key Points

• Vestcor Inc cut its Eli Lilly stake by 18.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,282 shares and leaving it with 23,446 shares valued at about $25.2 million. Eli Lilly now makes up roughly 0.7% of Vestcor’s portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 82.53% of Eli Lilly shares held by institutions. Several other funds increased positions during the quarter, showing continued investor interest despite Vestcor’s reduction.
• Recent company and analyst updates remain broadly positive, including CVS Caremark’s decision to cover Zepbound, LillyDirect adding WeightWatchers Med+, and a new Phase 2b obesity trial. Analysts also maintain a generally bullish stance, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and a $1,227 price target.

Vestcor Inc reduced its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 18.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,446 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,282 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 0.7% of Vestcor Inc's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Vestcor Inc's holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $25,197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 8,469 shares of the company's stock worth $9,101,000 after buying an additional 1,749 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,765 shares of the company's stock worth $2,971,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Closed End Fund Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $430,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,335 shares of the company's stock worth $2,509,000 after buying an additional 951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invst LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 103.7% during the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 6,864 shares of the company's stock worth $7,377,000 after buying an additional 3,494 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: CVS Caremark reversed its earlier exclusion and will now cover Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, a meaningful reimbursement win that could expand patient access and bolster obesity-drug sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: WeightWatchers Med+ is now available through LillyDirect, reinforcing Lilly’s distribution ecosystem and strengthening its leadership in chronic weight management. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly announced a new Phase 2b obesity trial for macupatide–eloralintide, adding another potential growth driver to its weight-loss pipeline beyond current GLP-1 products. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted Lilly as a potential winner against competitors, with attention on its new pill version of its weight-loss drug and broader competitive advantages. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to frame LLY as a long-term winner, citing strong execution, deal-making, and diversification efforts beyond obesity drugs. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Lilly also received coverage around its Phase 3 Libretto-432 cancer study and a $1.9 billion Ascidian partnership, both of which support the pipeline but are longer-term in nature. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader health-care sector commentary and stock-screen articles were generally supportive, but they are less likely to be a direct driver of LLY’s move than the CVS and pipeline news. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on LLY. Freedom Capital upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $880.00 to $900.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Leerink Partners set a $1,119.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,227.00.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:LLY opened at $1,133.15 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $623.78 and a 1 year high of $1,166.29. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.25, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day moving average of $974.59 and a 200-day moving average of $1,013.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.50.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $19.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-37.000 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 35.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 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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