Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Stake Raised by First Merchants Corp

First Merchants Corp raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 1.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,675 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for about 1.5% of First Merchants Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $38,665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Steph & Co. lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 290.0% during the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 39 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 263.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 40 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lilly confirmed it will buy Ventyx Biosciences in an all-cash deal worth about $1.2 billion, gaining a pipeline of oral small-molecule NLRP3 inhibitors and inflammatory disease candidates that expand Lilly beyond diabetes/weight-loss. This acquisition is a clear pipeline/strategic positive. Eli Lilly to buy Ventyx Biosciences in $1.2 billion deal
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly expanded its obesity/metabolic pipeline via a multiyear partnership/licensing deal with Nimbus (reported value ~$1.3B), adding an oral obesity candidate to its development portfolio — another growth pathway beyond injectables. Boston biotech Nimbus to partner with Eli Lilly on weight-loss pill in $1.3 billion deal
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly struck a collaboration with InduPro on a next-gen cancer program worth up to $950 million, strengthening oncology exposure and long-term revenue optionality. Lilly links up with InduPro in next-gen cancer treatment deal worth up to $950M
• Positive Sentiment: Clarivate named several Lilly cardiometabolic launches among drugs to watch for 2026, highlighting continued product catalysts beyond current blockbusters. Lilly’s prospective cardiometabolic launches dominate list of drugs to watch in 2026: Clarivate
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are bullish: Citigroup flagged ~50% upside, and several upgrades/positive notes have circulated, supporting momentum and investor confidence in Lilly’s pipeline and earnings outlook. Eli Lilly Stock (LLY) Has 50% Upside, Says Citigroup
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock printed an all-time high intraday as buyers priced in the M&A and deal flow; that’s market confirmation of the reaction but not a new fundamental. Eli Lilly stock hits all-time high of 1113.03 USD
• Negative Sentiment: Lilly faces legal pressure: the Indiana attorney general sued alleging inflated insulin pricing, a regulatory and reputational overhang that could lead to fines, settlements or policy scrutiny. Indiana sues Eli Lilly alleging insulin price-fixing scheme

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

LLY stock opened at $1,107.54 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,028.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $856.98. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $623.78 and a 52 week high of $1,117.66. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 54.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.55.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.42 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $17.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 33.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LLY shares. Loop Capital set a $950.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, November 10th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $1,165.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. National Bankshares set a $1,286.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, CICC Research upped their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $801.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $1,169.00.

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.