Wall Street Zen Upgrades Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) to “Strong-Buy”

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on LLY. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. National Bank Financial set a $1,286.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,313.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,229.59.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $990.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $934.47 billion, a PE ratio of 43.16, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1,045.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $939.25. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $623.78 and a twelve month high of $1,133.95.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.48 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.85 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 102.94% and a net margin of 31.66%.Eli Lilly and Company’s revenue was up 42.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.32 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LLY. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 189.6% in the third quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,283,000 after purchasing an additional 11,396 shares during the last quarter. Rede Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $487,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 8,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,859,000 after buying an additional 1,843 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 5,591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Family Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the third quarter worth $1,979,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lilly launched “Lilly Employer Connect,” a direct-to-employer platform designed to broaden employer coverage of its obesity medicines (Zepbound/tirzepatide), which could increase uptake and stabilize pricing dynamics by offering predictable pricing for employers. Lilly Employer Connect platform launches
• Positive Sentiment: GoodRx expanded employer-sponsored access to Zepbound KwikPen, offering a set price across doses — a commercial channel that can boost volume and lower friction for adoption among employees. GoodRx to Expand Employer-Sponsored Access to Zepbound® KwikPen®
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and clinical updates: completion/updates on the TRANSCEND‑T2D‑1 trial for retatrutide and progress in abemaciclib combos deepen Lilly’s obesity and oncology optionality — news that supports longer‑term growth expectations. TRANSCEND-T2D-1 Trial Completion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: UBS and other analysts emphasize Lilly’s leadership in next‑generation obesity therapies and maintained/installed Buy views, which underpins demand for the stock. Analyst Buy Rating on Lilly
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: competitor data (Roche/Zealand) showed mixed results — some rivals lag GLP‑1 leaders — which can modestly benefit market share expectations for Lilly but is not a direct near‑term driver. Roche’s Obesity Drug Shows Promise But Trails GLP-1 Giants
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader coverage and media analysis ask whether LLY’s high absolute share price leaves room to run — useful for positioning but not an immediate catalyst absent valuation or guidance changes. Is It Too Late To Consider Eli Lilly (LLY)?
• Negative Sentiment: Sell‑side/independent skepticism and downgrade: a Seeking Alpha piece flagged a rating downgrade and cautioned that the “one‑way ride” may end, adding downside pressure from sentiment shifts. Eli Lilly: The One-Way Ride Can’t Last Forever (Rating Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term investor worries about pricing, competition and recent share weakness since earnings have led to short‑term selling/volatility despite strong top‑line results and guidance. Lilly (LLY) Down 3.7% Since Last Earnings Report

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.