Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Cut to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on LLY. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,286.00 to $1,268.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,171.00 to $1,290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Loop Capital set a $950.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, CICC Research boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $801.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,162.75.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY opened at $1,037.84 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,056.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $888.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $623.78 and a 1 year high of $1,133.95. The stock has a market cap of $981.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.77, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 109.52% and a net margin of 30.99%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. Analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 78,621.2% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,552,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,005,392,000 after purchasing an additional 11,537,661 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter valued at about $8,827,714,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 20.9% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 25,088,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,141,787,000 after buying an additional 4,332,008 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 80,407,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,680,004,000 after buying an additional 1,183,038 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 27.1% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 4,525,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,823,977,000 after acquiring an additional 964,675 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO David Ricks said impending Medicare coverage for obesity drugs could “change the game” for the launch of Lilly’s oral obesity candidate orforglipron, signaling a major commercial catalyst if access and reimbursement broaden this year. Eli Lilly CEO says Medicare coverage of obesity drugs could ‘change the game’ for upcoming pill launch
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly announced a $3.5 billion Lehigh Valley (PA) injectable manufacturing plant to produce next‑gen weight‑loss drugs (including retatrutide), expanding U.S. capacity and creating ~2,800 jobs — a material long‑term supply and growth investment. Eli Lilly to build $3.5 billion Pennsylvania plant in US manufacturing push
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target sharply to $1,250 and maintained a buy rating, providing analyst backing that can support further upside and investor confidence. TD Cowen adjusts price target on Eli Lilly and Co to $1,250
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly expanded its R&D and partnering footprint with a ~ $1.93B deal with Repertoire (autoimmune therapies) and other gene‑editing/oncology investments, diversifying future growth drivers beyond GLP‑1s. Lilly signs up to $1.93 billion deal with Repertoire for autoimmune therapies
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitor Novo Nordisk ramped U.S. advertising for Wegovy/Ozempic after prior supply constraints eased, outspending Lilly — a sign of intensifying marketing competition in obesity that could pressure share gains or require higher promotional spend. Novo Nordisk Outspends Eli Lilly On Wegovy, Ozempic Ads After Supply Crunch Eases
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA action date for Lilly’s oral weight‑loss pill orforglipron was moved to April 10 (Q2), delaying potential revenue contribution and near‑term clarity on approval — a timing risk that can cap upside until the new decision date. FDA Decision on Eli Lilly’s Weight Loss Pill Delayed to Q2

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

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.