Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Trading 4.3% Higher – Here’s Why

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)’s stock price traded up 4.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1,140.46 and last traded at $1,125.0040. 3,765,402 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 18% from the average session volume of 3,195,381 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,078.78.

Key Stories Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $930.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Leerink Partners set a $1,119.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. CICC Research raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,107.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,227.00.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $974.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,013.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 40.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $1.58. The firm had revenue of $19.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.82 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 34.98% and a return on equity of 105.77%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.34 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-37.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 35.8 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.58%.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,392,000 after acquiring an additional 5,591 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 27,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,789,000 after acquiring an additional 592 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 25.6% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,365,000 after acquiring an additional 8,659 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 31,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,471,000 after purchasing an additional 7,338 shares during the period. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.5% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 165,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,022,000 after purchasing an additional 5,595 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.