We recently published a list of 10 Best Healthcare Stocks To Buy According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) stands against the other best healthcare stocks to buy according to hedge funds.

Resilience and Growth in the U.S. Healthcare Sector

Investing in healthcare equities is typically seen as protective during difficult economic times. This is because, even in times of financial hardship, people usually do not reduce their usage of prescription drugs or other necessary healthcare services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates that national healthcare expenditures would grow at an average rate of 5.6% between 2027 and 2032, with spending on healthcare expected to reach an estimated $4.8 trillion in 2023.

In America, the healthcare sector is booming. A new analysis showed that the Country’s healthcare spending rose by 7.5% in 2023, outpacing the nominal GDP growth rate of that year. A significant portion of the population, approximately 93.1% of Americans, had health insurance last year, which helped to drive up healthcare spending. The US government’s predicted 5.6% annual growth in healthcare spending between 2023 and 2032 is expected to surpass the 4.3% growth rate of the GDP.

Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in the Global Healthcare Market

The global healthcare industry is expanding, with McKinsey predicting profits to grow from $583 billion in 2022 to over $800 billion by 2027, at a 7% CAGR. Despite challenges in 2023 from labor shortages and inflation, 2024 is expected to recover, creating an attractive investment opportunity. AI investments in healthcare have surged, with $2.8 billion already invested in 2024 and expectations of over $11 billion by year-end. Deloitte’s 2024 outlook highlights high investor confidence, with AI poised to save $360 billion in U.S. healthcare over the next five years through advancements in patient care, diagnosis, and administration.

In 2023, the healthcare sector faced challenges as investors adjusted for higher interest rates, causing it to lag behind other sectors. However, GLP-1 drugs for weight loss significantly boosted some health companies’ income statements. The sector saw mixed performance, with some companies struggling due to tough comparisons after the COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic revenues exceeded $100 billion in 2022. Rising interest rates also pressured biotechnology, and providers faced lingering COVID-19 impacts, although distributors improved with better fundamentals and opioid litigation resolutions. However, as fed’s easing of rate policy, with the last cut being that of 50 basis points, the healthcare market is expected to boost.

Our Methodology 

For our methodology, we have ranked the best healthcare stocks to buy according to hedge funds based on their total number of hedge fund holders as of Q2 2024.

“Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).”

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 100 

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is a global pharmaceutical giant that develops, manufactures, and sells a wide range of medications. At its core, Lilly creates and distributes drugs to treat various medical conditions, with a particular focus on diabetes, oncology, immunology, and neuroscience.

Zepbound and Mounjaro, two medications from Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY), have been approved to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes, respectively, and are anticipated to bolster the company’s present revenue base. Tirzepatide is the same active ingredient in both therapies. Zepbound brought in $1.2 billion and Mounjaro about $3.1 billion respectively in the second quarter, establishing them as the two best-selling medications. By 2029, analysts project a $50 billion increase in medicine sales.

As of Q2 2024, a 100 hedge fund holders from those we tracked held stakes in the stock with Fisher Asset Management being the largest stakeholder from these, owning nearly 5 million shares. Analysts are also bullish on LLY giving it a Strong Buy rating. Over the last 3 months, 20 Wall Street analysts set an average 12-month price target of $1,042.88 for Eli Lilly, with a high of $1,150.00 and a low of $856.00, reflecting a 13.17% increase from the current price of $921.49.

The following is what Baron Health Care Fund stated regarding Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in its investor letter for the second quarter of 2024.

“ Shares of global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) increased on continued investor enthusiasm around GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and obesity. We remain shareholders. Lilly’s Mounjaro/Zepbound not only offers superb blood sugar control for diabetics but can drive 20%-plus weight loss and likely improve cardiovascular outcomes in both diabetic and non-diabetic obese patients. Lilly is developing next-generation drugs, including retatrutide, which drives approximately 25% weight loss, and orforglipron, a daily pill that produces approximately 15% weight loss. In the U.S. alone, there are 32 million Type 2 diabetics and an additional 105 million obese patients who we estimate would qualify for GLP-1 drugs. Although supply and access are limited near term, we think GLP-1 drugs will become the standard of care for both diabetes and obesity and will become a $150 billion-plus category. We see Lilly setting a high efficacy bar and capturing significant long-term market share. We think the adoption of GLP-1s will drive Lilly to triple total revenue by 2030.”

Overall, LLY ranks 3rd among the best healthcare stocks to buy according to hedge funds. While we acknowledge the potential of LLY as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than LLY but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.