Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Stock Price Up 1.4% – Should You Buy?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) rose 1.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $1,189.07 and last traded at $1,172.50. 2,781,459 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 3,185,476 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,156.63.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lilly’s acquisition of AtaiBeckley adds late-stage psychedelic assets, including BPL-003, and broadens its neuroscience pipeline. Lilly to acquire AtaiBeckley to advance therapies for treatment-resistant depression and other mental health conditions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary say the deal reinforces Big Pharma’s interest in psychedelic therapies and could strengthen Lilly’s long-term growth story beyond obesity and diabetes. AtaiBeckley acquisition highlights growing Big Pharma interest in psychedelics, says Jefferies
• Neutral Sentiment: Lilly also announced an update on an ongoing ALS study, indicating continued clinical development activity across its broader pipeline. Lilly Expands ALS Pipeline With Long-Term Safety Study for LY4256984
• Neutral Sentiment: LLY stock is being described as holding near a buy zone and key support ahead of second-quarter results, suggesting investors are also watching upcoming earnings for confirmation of the growth outlook. Eli Lilly Stock Hovers In Buy Zone, Finds Key Support Amid $3 Billion Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary suggests the acquisition may pressure sentiment in the near term because Lilly is paying a significant price for an asset that still carries clinical and regulatory risk. This Psychedelic Pharma Stock Is Soaring 50% on Report of Eli Lilly Takeover Talks

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $880.00 to $900.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,235.00 to $1,273.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,500.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,283.64.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.8%

The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $1.11 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,118.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,036.80.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $1.58. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 34.98% and a return on equity of 105.77%. The business had revenue of $19.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-37.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 34.55 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, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 24.58%.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LLY. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,976,634,000. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 46,191.3% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 4,047,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,047,245,000 after buying an additional 4,038,502 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 876.1% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 2,375,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,552,419,000 after buying an additional 2,131,734 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 321.3% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,963,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,805,959,000 after buying an additional 1,497,423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,910,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,024,022,000 after buying an additional 1,432,069 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.