5 Best Performing S&P 500 Stocks in the Last 5 Years

2. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 75

5-Year Share Price Gains as of January 6: 317.27%

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. On December 22, Dutch biotech firm ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (NASDAQ:PRQR) announced an agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) to expand the partnership for RNA-editing-based genetic medicines. With shares up over 317% in the last five years as of January 6, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is one of the best performing S&P stocks to consider. 

On December 3, Barclays analyst Carter Gould raised the firm’s price target on Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) to $400 from $395 and reiterated an Overweight rating on the shares.

According to Insider Monkey’s data, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) was part of 75 hedge fund portfolios at the end of Q3 2022, compared to 70 in the prior quarter. Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke, and John Campbell’s Arrowstreet Capital is a prominent stakeholder of the company, with 2.5 million shares worth $802.8 million. 

Here is what ClearBridge Global Growth Strategy has to say about Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in its Q3 2022 investor letter:

“In the U.S., we initiated a position in pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) as it brings out new drug candidates for diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. New drugs impact diabetes but have also demonstrated significant weight loss for patients who are overweight and have other co-morbidity issues as a result. Lilly is one of the two key players in diabetes care and we believe the potential market opportunity is much higher than the consensus forecasts as we are seeing evidence of accelerating adoption.”