Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on LLY. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. HSBC downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "buy" rating to a "reduce" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $1,150.00 to $700.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,135.00 price target (up previously from $1,133.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $936.00 to $942.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,012.56.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $811.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $769.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.05, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.37. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $677.09 and a one year high of $972.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $771.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $800.41.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $3.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.64 by ($1.30). The firm had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.77 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.51% and a net margin of 22.67%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 855 shares of the company's stock worth $660,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 532 shares of the company's stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Tobias Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Tobias Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 307 shares of the company's stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Redwood Investments LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the company's stock worth $1,705,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hobbs Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.8% during the first quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,459 shares of the company's stock worth $1,205,000 after buying an additional 12 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 discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.

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