Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Trading 1.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)’s share price rose 1.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1,159.75 and last traded at $1,152.13. 1,880,384 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 38% from the average daily volume of 3,014,791 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,137.82.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted full approval to Inluriyo (imlunestrant) plus Verzenio for adults with ER-positive, HER2-negative, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer. In the Phase 3 EMBER-3 trial, the combination doubled median progression-free survival versus Inluriyo alone, expanding Lilly’s oncology commercial opportunity. FDA approves Inluriyo and Verzenio
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target to $1,284, citing continued strength in the tirzepatide franchise and improving Foundayo trends. Berenberg also upgraded Lilly to Buy and lifted its target to $1,400, pointing to strong returns on research investment and obesity-market growth. Guggenheim raises Lilly price target Berenberg upgrades Lilly
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Lilly’s GLP-1 portfolio, including Mounjaro and Zepbound, as a major growth engine. The company’s recent revenue growth and pipeline of next-generation obesity treatments underpin the bullish long-term outlook. Bullish outlook for Lilly
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting the September 30 mid-stage data readout for the eloraTZP two-drug obesity treatment. Strong efficacy could support Lilly’s premium valuation and create a new franchise, while only incremental benefits could intensify concerns that expectations are already too high. Lilly obesity combination data outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Lilly’s U.S. pricing reportedly fell 9% year over year, with higher sales volume currently offsetting the decline. Investors may become more cautious if pricing pressure begins to outpace volume growth. Lilly pricing pressure analysis
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s premium valuation, increasing competition in obesity drugs and recent performance concerns remain potential headwinds despite strong fundamentals. Lilly valuation and competition analysis

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LLY shares. UBS Group set a $1,376.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,300.00 to $1,385.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $1,419.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price 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, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,305.25.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.09 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1,176.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,076.80.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.40 by $1.98. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 33.53% and a return on equity of 97.83%. The business had revenue of $22.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 47.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 36.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 23.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total value of $7,638,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 54,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,628,139.70. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,190.00, for a total transaction of $5,950,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,131,250. This represents a 29.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock valued at $15,958,170 in the last quarter. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Maseco LLP boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 466.7% during the 1st quarter. Maseco LLP now owns 34 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Aventus Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 270.0% during the first quarter. Aventus Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of medical conditions. Its portfolio includes treatments for diabetes and obesity, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease and other areas of significant unmet medical need.

The company’s products include Mounjaro and Trulicity for diabetes, Zepbound for chronic weight management, and insulin products such as Humalog. Lilly also markets Verzenio for certain breast cancers and Kisunla for the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.