Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 221,889 Shares of Eli Lilly and Company $LLY

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,618,299 shares of the company’s stock after selling 221,889 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company makes up approximately 1.2% of Franklin Resources Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $4,963,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in LLY. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 84.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 35 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. 10Elms LLP raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. 10Elms LLP now owns 40 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 342.9% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 31 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Global Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $1,133.15 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.25, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $974.59 and a 200-day moving average of $1,012.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $623.78 and a fifty-two week high of $1,166.29.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $1.58. The company had revenue of $19.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.82 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 105.77% and a net margin of 34.98%.Eli Lilly and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.34 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-37.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 35.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is presently 24.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on LLY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,285.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Leerink Partners set a $1,119.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,227.00.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

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.