Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock a “reduce” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,410.00 to $1,440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group set a $1,376.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, August 7th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,370.00 to $1,376.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,251.00 to $1,334.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,313.43.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.5%

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $1,258.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.18 trillion, a PE ratio of 42.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.46. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $783.85 and a 12 month high of $1,292.65. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,180.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,107.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.40 by $1.98. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 97.83% and a net margin of 33.53%. The business had revenue of $22.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.31 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 47.7% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 33.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Donald Zakrowski sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,185.01, for a total value of $2,370,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,808,325.26. This represents a 56.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total value of $7,638,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 54,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,628,139.70. This represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock worth $15,958,170. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $13,522,666,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,667,180,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 321.3% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,963,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,805,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,497,423 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 353.7% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,550,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,425,859,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $764,116,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Eli Lilly and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: European backing for Foundayo: The European Medicines Agency’s advisory committee issued a positive recommendation for Foundayo (orforglipron), Lilly’s once-daily oral GLP-1 treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Final approval from the European Commission is still required, but the decision supports Lilly’s strategy to expand beyond injectable drugs and could broaden access to the rapidly growing weight-loss market. Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 Pill Wins Key European Backing for Obesity and Diabetes
• Positive Sentiment: Additional obesity drugs could extend growth: Analysts and market commentators highlighted Foundayo, investigational retatrutide and other newer medicines as potential drivers of Lilly’s next growth phase, reducing dependence on Zepbound. Retatrutide remains in development, so its commercial contribution depends on clinical results and future regulatory approval. Forget Zepbound: 3 Newer Drugs That Could Power Eli Lilly’s Next Leg Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline diversification is improving: New Omvoh analyses showed meaningful one-year corticosteroid-free disease control in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, including patients who had failed prior biologics. Lilly also announced oncology research collaborations, adding potential long-term pipeline value beyond its GLP-1 franchise. New Omvoh Composite Outcomes Data
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk: Lilly’s exceptional obesity-driven growth and strong recent performance have pushed investor expectations high. Articles questioned whether future cash-flow growth is sufficient to justify the stock’s premium valuation, increasing the possibility of volatility if results or guidance disappoint. Eli Lilly’s Growth Is Exceptional. Is Its Valuation Asking Too Much?
• Negative Sentiment: Large shareholder sale adds a technical overhang: The Lilly Foundation is selling approximately 300,000 shares valued near $347 million. Reports indicate the transaction is not tied to concerns about Lilly’s business outlook, but a sizable sale can still raise short-term supply and sentiment concerns. Eli Lilly’s Biggest Shareholder Is Selling $347 Million of Stock

About Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of medical conditions. Its major therapeutic areas include diabetes and obesity, oncology, immunology, neuroscience and cardiovascular health.

The company’s portfolio includes Mounjaro and Trulicity for diabetes, Zepbound for chronic weight management, Humalog insulin, Taltz for inflammatory diseases, Verzenio for certain breast cancers and Kisunla for early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.