The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Reduces Stock Holdings in Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its Eli Lilly stake by 7.6%, selling 109,508 shares and retaining 1.34 million shares valued at approximately $1.60 billion. Institutional investors collectively own 82.53% of LLY.
• Eli Lilly reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $8.38 and revenue of $22.97 billion, beating estimates and representing 47.7% year-over-year revenue growth. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $1,295.39.
• Insiders sold 13,500 shares worth about $15.96 million over the past three months, while the company continues expanding beyond obesity and diabetes drugs through acquisitions and investments in mental health and women’s health.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) by 7.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,337,665 shares of the company's stock after selling 109,508 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company makes up about 0.8% of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company's holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.14% of Eli Lilly and Company worth $1,604,453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Palogic Value Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $200,000. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 715 shares of the company's stock worth $858,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 6.7% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 1,314 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,576,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 7.8% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 154,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $185,363,000 after acquiring an additional 11,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IPG Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter worth about $2,545,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald Zakrowski sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,185.01, for a total value of $2,370,020.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,526 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,808,325.26. The trade was a 56.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total transaction of $7,638,150.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 54,147 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $63,628,139.70. The trade was a 10.72% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 13,500 shares of company stock worth $15,958,170 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Competitive position in obesity drugs: Morgan Stanley downgraded Novo Nordisk to Sell, citing expectations that Lilly will continue taking market share before semaglutide patent expiration becomes the primary issue. This reinforces the outlook for Lilly’s obesity and diabetes portfolio. Morgan Stanley Downgrades Novo Nordisk to Sell on Lilly Competition
• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings expectations: Erste Group raised its fiscal 2027 EPS forecast for LLY to $47.18 from $45.14, signaling confidence in continued earnings growth. Eli Lilly analyst earnings estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline diversification: Lilly completed its acquisition of AtaiBeckley, adding BPL-003, an investigational rapid-acting therapy for treatment-resistant depression and other mental-health conditions. The deal broadens Lilly’s pipeline beyond metabolic medicines. Lilly completes acquisition of AtaiBeckley
• Positive Sentiment: New growth opportunities: Lilly is using GLP-1-generated cash flow to expand into women’s health, including treatments for endometriosis and pregnancy-related disorders, while its immunology business and acquisitions create additional potential growth engines. Lilly expands women’s health initiatives
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and momentum are in focus: Recent coverage highlights Lilly’s trillion-dollar market capitalization, roughly 50% GLP-1 revenue growth and a recent pullback. These support the long-term story but leave investors questioning how much future growth is already reflected in the stock price. Eli Lilly valuation and growth outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and spending risks: The AtaiBeckley purchase requires Lilly to fund a clinical-stage program with uncertain outcomes, while investors remain sensitive to the company’s premium valuation and its ability to sustain rapid growth as competition increases.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on LLY. Wall Street Zen cut Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 23rd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,235.00 to $1,273.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $1,283.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,350.00 to $1,410.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,295.39.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $1,115.53 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $1,183.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,073.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.50. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $712.05 and a 52-week high of $1,292.65.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 97.83% and a net margin of 33.53%.The company had revenue of $22.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.31 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 47.7% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 36.35 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.22%.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of medical conditions. Its portfolio includes treatments for diabetes and obesity, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease and other areas of significant unmet medical need.

The company's products include Mounjaro and Trulicity for diabetes, Zepbound for chronic weight management, and insulin products such as Humalog. Lilly also markets Verzenio for certain breast cancers and Kisunla for the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease.

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