Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Stock Price Up 4.1% – What’s Next?

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) were up 4.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $1,117.66 and last traded at $1,107.54. Approximately 4,646,275 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 34% from the average daily volume of 3,471,991 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,064.04.

Key Headlines Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lilly agreed to buy inflammation specialist Ventyx Biosciences for about $1.2B, expanding its small‑molecule oral inflammation pipeline (NLRP3 inhibitors) and signaling diversification beyond GLP‑1 obesity drugs. Eli Lilly to buy Ventyx Biosciences in $1.2 billion deal
• Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage data shows Zepbound (weight‑loss drug) combined with Taltz improved psoriatic arthritis symptoms and produced additional weight loss versus Taltz alone — a potential label/usage expansion that strengthens commercial upside for both franchises. Lilly’s Zepbound plus Taltz boosts arthritis relief, weight loss in late-stage trial
• Positive Sentiment: UBS initiated coverage with a Buy and raised its price target to $1,250, and other firms have reiterated Buy/Overweight ratings — analyst momentum that can support further upside. Here’s What UBS Thinks About Eli Lilly and Company (LLY)
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly is partnering across AI/drug‑design platforms (Chai Discovery collaboration; Schrodinger to offer Lilly’s TuneLab), which could accelerate discovery and productivity of future programs. Chai Discovery Announces Collaboration with Eli-Lilly Schrodinger to offer Eli Lilly’s AI drug discovery platform
• Positive Sentiment: Distribution tie‑ins: Walmart’s new health hub includes LillyDirect, broadening consumer access to Lilly’s DTC offerings. Walmart Launches Digital Destination Focused on Health and Wellness
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference could produce additional pipeline updates and M&A chatter that moves the stock, but those are anticipated rather than new. Healthy Returns: What to expect from pharma at the JPM conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Social‑media and retail chatter about obesity‑drug partnerships and acquisitions is amplifying sentiment; useful for momentum but noisy and not a substitute for fundamentals. Eli Lilly and Company Stock (LLY) Opinions on Obesity Drug Partnership and Acquisition Talks
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/transaction scrutiny: law firms have opened investigations into whether Ventyx shareholders received fair value in the deal — potential distractions and modest litigation risk around the acquisition. Ventyx Biosciences Investor Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Significant institutional/endowment and insider selling activity is highlighted in recent filings and data summaries — that can pressure near‑term price action as holders lock in gains. Eli Lilly and Company Stock (LLY) Opinions on Obesity Drug Partnership and Acquisition Talks

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $830.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Loop Capital set a $950.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,250.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,286.00 to $1,268.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $1,169.00.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $1,033.14 and its 200-day moving average is $858.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 52.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.35.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.42 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. Eli Lilly and Company’s revenue was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $1.73 dividend. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is 29.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LLY. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 80,959,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,771,785,000 after purchasing an additional 551,659 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,726,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,496,364,000 after buying an additional 219,590 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 25,088,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,141,787,000 after buying an additional 4,332,008 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,563,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,112,164,000 after acquiring an additional 574,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 78,621.2% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,552,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,005,392,000 after acquiring an additional 11,537,661 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.