Alta Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Eli Lilly by 17.0% during the third quarter, selling 522 shares to end the period with 2,541 shares valued at 1.939 million. Several other institutional investors also modified their holdings: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group initiated a 27,000 stake in the second quarter, Evolution Wealth Management added 29,000, Steph & Co. boosted its position by 290% to 39 shares, Financial Gravity Companies acquired 31,000, and Bare Financial Services increased its holding by 263.6% to 40 shares. Current data show that 82.53% of the company’s stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly reported third-quarter earnings per share of 7.02, beating consensus by 0.60, and delivered revenue of 17.60 billion versus estimates of 16.09 billion, a year-over-year increase of 53.9%. The company posted a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. Management set full-year 2025 EPS guidance in a range of 23.00 to 23.70, while analysts on average forecast 23.48 for the fiscal year.

The board approved a quarterly dividend of 1.73 per share, payable on March 10 to shareholders of record as of February 13. This represents an annualized payout of 6.92 and a yield of approximately 0.7%, up from the prior quarterly dividend of 1.50. At the new rate, the company’s dividend payout ratio stands at 29.35%.

Research firms have issued a mix of ratings on Eli Lilly, including four strong-buy, eighteen buy and four hold recommendations, resulting in an average consensus rating of Buy. Price targets range from 830 to 1,234, with Daiwa Capital Markets at 1,230, Leerink Partners at 1,234, Berenberg Bank raising its target from 830 to 950, and Loop Capital at 950. Zacks Research recently upgraded the stock from hold to strong-buy, and the average target sits at 1,174.61.