12 Best Stocks to Buy for the Long Term

3. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 114

5-Year Average Revenue Growth: 18.28%

5-Year Return: 398.7%

According to a report by Reuters, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) has signed an agreement worth up to $1.12 billion with Seamless Therapeutics. The Germany-based startup announced the deal on January 28. The partnership focuses on developing and commercializing treatments for hearing loss using Seamless’ gene-editing platform.

The agreement gives Lilly access to proprietary technology that allows for the design of specially engineered enzymes aimed at correcting certain gene mutations linked to hearing loss. These enzymes, known as programmable recombinases, are built to make large, precise changes to DNA at specific locations. The approach does not rely on the cell’s own DNA repair pathway, which is a key distinction.

Lilly will oversee the program from early preclinical work through to commercialization. The $1.12 billion figure includes an upfront payment, research and development funding, and additional payments tied to development and commercial milestones.

This deal fits into a broader pattern. Lilly has been steadily building out a pipeline of genetic medicines across multiple diseases, using a mix of acquisitions and partnerships. The company is looking beyond its blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs, Zepbound and Mounjaro, to fuel future growth.

Last year offers a clear example. Lilly spent $1.3 billion to acquire Verve Therapeutics, expanding its push into gene-editing therapies for heart-related conditions.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is a global pharmaceutical firm that discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells medicines worldwide.