Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

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

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on LLY. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,330.00 to $1,500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,425.00 to $1,625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup increased their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,600.00 to $1,650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,612.00 price target (up from $1,376.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday. Finally, Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,309.00 to $1,316.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,404.14.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $1,412.06 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,200.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,094.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.35. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $850.51 and a 1-year high of $1,449.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.46.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $7.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.71 by $1.77. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 33.53% and a return on equity of 97.83%. The business had revenue of $24.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.02 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 38.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 35.18 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.73 per share. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 22.46%.

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,185.01, for a total transaction of $2,370,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,808,325.26. The trade was a 56.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Anat Hakim sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,190.00, for a total value of $5,950,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,131,250. This trade represents a 29.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock worth $15,958,170. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LLY. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.6% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 67,540,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,009,981,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,558 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,215,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,438,262,000 after purchasing an additional 605,752 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter worth approximately $13,522,666,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.9% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 7,209,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,647,153,000 after purchasing an additional 137,364 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 7.9% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,461,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,550,587,000 after purchasing an additional 400,538 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Another strong quarter and higher guidance: Third-quarter revenue rose roughly 39% year over year to $24.4 billion, beating expectations, while adjusted EPS also exceeded estimates. Strong demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound led Lilly to raise its full-year outlook. Eli Lilly Just Delivered Another Blowout Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target increases: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $1,600 and maintained an “overweight” rating. Other firms, including JPMorgan, also boosted targets, reflecting continued confidence in Lilly’s earnings outlook. Cantor Fitzgerald price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial reorganization: Lilly is combining its U.S. and international commercial operations into one division. The move could improve coordination and execution globally, but its financial effect is not yet clear. Lilly combines commercial divisions
• Negative Sentiment: Pricing and growth concerns: Medicare’s GLP-1 Bridge program and lower realized drug prices may pressure revenue and margins. Analysts also warn that growth could moderate after exceptionally strong results, while one-time revenue benefits may not recur. Lilly’s First Full Medicare Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: High expectations and concentration risk: With about two-thirds of revenue tied to its leading GLP-1 medicines and the shares trading at a premium valuation, investors may be taking profits and demanding evidence that rapid growth can continue. Eli Lilly: Softer Growth Ahead

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.