Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Cut to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday.

LLY has been the subject of several other research reports. HSBC cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $1,070.00 to $850.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $960.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $1,250.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,300.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,222.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of LLY stock opened at $952.24 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $623.78 and a 52 week high of $1,133.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $899.69 billion, a PE ratio of 41.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $987.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $973.10.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.48 by $0.06. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 31.66% and a return on equity of 102.94%. The company had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 42.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LLY. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 189.6% during the third quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,283,000 after acquiring an additional 11,396 shares during the period. Rede Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $487,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 25.8% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 8,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,859,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 26.5% during the third quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,392,000 after purchasing an additional 5,591 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 27,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,789,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval and commercial setup: Lilly secured approval for its oral weight‑loss drug Foundayo and management says production is ready to scale, supporting near‑term revenue upside from obesity treatments. Great News for Eli Lilly Stock Investors!
• Positive Sentiment: Buy arguments and analyst support: multiple bullish writeups (including a “3 Reasons To Buy” piece and a modest price‑target raise after approval) highlight durable cash flows from GLP‑1 drugs and refreshed upside assumptions. 3 Reasons To Buy Eli Lilly Now Price Target Raised After FDA Approval
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline diversification: Lilly amended its collaboration with AC Immune to advance next‑generation tau inhibitors toward IND‑enabling studies in 2026, expanding long‑term Alzheimer’s/neurodegeneration exposure beyond metabolic drugs. Eli Lilly Extends AC Immune Tau Pact
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention and commentary: Zacks and other outlets note heavy investor interest and that Lilly has lagged recent market gains despite its headline activity — useful context for short‑term volume/volatility. Eli Lilly (LLY) Ascends But Remains Behind Market
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pricing pressure: Novo Nordisk launched a higher‑dose Wegovy at a significantly lower cash price than Lilly’s Zepbound/Foundayo positioning, creating margin and market‑share risks in the obesity market. Novo Nordisk Unveils $399 Wegovy HD
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade / short‑term sell pressure: reports show at least one analyst downgrade that pushed intraday selling and headlines about the stock dipping after the new approval, reflecting investor sensitivity to competition and side‑effect narratives. Trading Down on Analyst Downgrade Stock Dips Following FDA Approval
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/forecast adjustments: at least one research note trimmed fair‑value assumptions slightly while leaving a high base case, underscoring debates over how much obesity/diabetes upside is already priced in. Obesity & Diabetes Story Reframes Investment Narrative

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.