Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Climb 4.4% Following Analyst Upgrade

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) shares shot up 4.4% during mid-day trading on Monday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $1,610.00 to $1,700.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Eli Lilly and Company traded as high as $1,419.67 and last traded at $1,413.2220. Approximately 3,760,490 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 27% from the average session volume of 2,967,246 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,354.00.

LLY has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen raised Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. Argus upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,300.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,425.00 to $1,625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,497.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,413.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,416.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total value of $7,638,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,628,139.70. This represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,402.52, for a total value of $7,012,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,137 shares in the company, valued at $5,802,225.24. The trade was a 54.72% 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. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: In a Phase 3 trial, Foundayo reduced sleep-apnea breathing interruptions by up to an average of 44% after 52 weeks; up to 32% of participants achieved remission or mild disease. Lilly also reported improvements in oxygen-related measures and plans to seek FDA approval for obstructive sleep apnea by year-end 2026. A new indication could broaden the pill’s commercial opportunity beyond weight loss. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its LLY price target to $1,700 from $1,610, adding to the positive reaction to the trial results. Yahoo Finance article
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly’s agreements with Hims & Hers and LifeMD will offer eligible U.S. adults digital access to branded Zepbound and Foundayo through telehealth and prescription fulfillment, potentially widening the company’s reach. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA issued a warning about a potential increased risk of a serious eye condition associated with GLP-1 medicines, including weight-loss drugs. The safety alert could weigh on sentiment toward Lilly’s class of treatments, though the provided report does not quantify any effect on use or sales. Reuters article

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. RPS Advisory Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.7% during the third quarter. RPS Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 1,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,190,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 7.8% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 995,948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,152,391,000 after purchasing an additional 72,133 shares in the last quarter. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.2% in the third quarter. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 10,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,895,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Finally, Meramec Financial Planners LLC raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 25.0% in the third quarter. Meramec Financial Planners LLC now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 4.4%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,215.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,101.16. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $7.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.71 by $1.77. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 31.90% and a return on equity of 86.76%. The company had revenue of $24.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.02 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 38.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 35.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for people and animals. Its work spans areas including diabetes and obesity, cancer, immunology, neuroscience and pain management.

The company’s medicines include treatments for diabetes and obesity, such as Mounjaro and Zepbound, as well as products for cancer and other conditions. Lilly also conducts research into new medicines and invests in the development of treatments across its therapeutic areas.

Founded in Indianapolis in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly, the company is headquartered in the city and serves patients in markets around the world.