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

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

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on LLY. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $976.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $775.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $951.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. CICC Research boosted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $801.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $830.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,162.75.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:LLY opened at $1,037.84 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,056.87 and a 200 day moving average of $890.19. The company has a market capitalization of $981.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.77, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.39. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $623.78 and a 1-year high of $1,133.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $17.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. 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 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter valued at about $8,827,714,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in 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 worth $19,141,787,000 after buying an additional 4,332,008 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.5% in 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 during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 27.1% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 4,525,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,823,977,000 after buying an additional 964,675 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

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.