Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Eli Lilly to a "strong-buy" from a hold in a research note issued Thursday.
• Wall Street sentiment is bullish overall — five analysts rate LLY a Strong Buy, 17 rate it Buy and five rate it Hold, with an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,155.36.
• Eli Lilly beat quarterly expectations (GAAP EPS $7.02 vs. $6.42 est., revenue $17.6B vs. $16.09B), reported revenue up 53.9% YoY, and set FY2025 guidance of 23.000–23.700 EPS (consensus ~23.48).

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $1,200.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,171.00 to $1,290.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,286.00 to $1,268.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,155.36.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $1,079.83 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,013.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $850.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $623.78 and a 1 year high of $1,111.99. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 52.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.55.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 114.3% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. now owns 77,295 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,253,000 after purchasing an additional 41,222 shares during the period. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 15.3% in the second quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 1,843 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 6.8% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 6,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,260,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family CFO Inc acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter worth about $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company's stock.

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.

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