Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Down 1.8% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares fell about 1.8% as the market reacted to Lilly’s announced acquisition of Kelonia — an upfront $3.25 billion (up to $7 billion total) deal that bolsters its in‑vivo CAR‑T oncology pipeline but introduces dilution and execution/milestone risk.
• Analysts remain largely positive: MarketBeat shows a consensus of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $1,224.59, and several firms have reaffirmed or raised their ratings following the deal.
• Lilly’s fundamentals are strong — it beat quarterly revenue and EPS estimates, reported a ~31.7% net margin, and set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of 33.5–35.0, giving it the cash flow to fund M&A despite growing GLP‑1 competitive concerns.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) shares fell 1.8% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $881.11 and last traded at $903.54. 4,024,992 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 29% from the average session volume of 3,122,442 shares. The stock had previously closed at $919.90.

Eli Lilly and Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition strengthens oncology and genetic‑medicine pipeline — Kelonia brings an in‑vivo CAR‑T platform and KLN‑1010 (Phase 1 multiple myeloma), positioning Lilly to address next‑gen cell therapies and diversify beyond GLP‑1s. Lilly to acquire Kelonia (PR Newswire)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upgraded coverage — some firms reaffirm Buy ratings and raise targets, citing the deal’s strategic fit and long‑term upside (UBS highlighted expansion of next‑gen in‑vivo CAR‑T as supportive). Analyst reaction (TipRanks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Financial backdrop remains strong — Lilly posted robust quarterly results and reiterated FY‑2026 EPS guidance (33.5–35.0), giving the company cash flow and profitability to fund M&A while pursuing multiple growth engines.
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term pressure from deal size, dilution and timing — the upfront $3.25B and up‑to‑$7B total consideration introduce execution and milestone risk; some investors are selling into the headline. Local coverage of Kelonia deal (Boston Globe)
• Negative Sentiment: GLP‑1 competitive concerns — reports that Amazon and others could disrupt pricing/distribution in the weight‑loss market are adding pressure to GLP‑1 growth expectations, which magnifies sensitivity to any large M&A spend. GLP-1 competition story (Yahoo Finance)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on LLY shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,293.00 to $1,294.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $1,260.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. HSBC cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $1,070.00 to $850.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $985.00 to $1,205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,168.00 to $1,163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,224.59.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

The firm's 50 day moving average price is $968.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $984.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $853.68 billion, a PE ratio of 39.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.51.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.32 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company'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 expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 34.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Miller Global Investments LLC purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 342.9% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 31 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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