Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Trading 10.1% Higher on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Key Points

• Shares jumped 10.1% after Eli Lilly reported Q1 EPS of $8.55 vs. $7.26 expected and revenue of $19.8B (vs. $17.61B), with revenue up 55.5% YoY; the company raised FY2026 guidance to $35.50–37.00 EPS (revenue $82–85B).
• Surging GLP‑1 sales (Mounjaro, Zepbound) powered the beat and regulatory moves could support branded pricing, but management warned of price erosion and the stock faces execution/competition risks from generics, mixed new‑drug uptake and insider selling.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) shares shot up 10.1% during trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $945.50 and last traded at $937.0380. 8,203,698 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 158% from the average session volume of 3,179,531 shares. The stock had previously closed at $851.21.

The company reported $8.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.26 by $1.29. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 31.66% and a return on equity of 102.94%. The business had revenue of $19.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-37.000 EPS.

Trending Headlines about Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and guidance beat — Lilly reported $8.55 EPS and $19.8B revenue, materially topping estimates, and raised FY2026 EPS and revenue guidance (EPS 35.50–37.00; revenue $82–85B). That upside and better forward guidance is the primary driver of the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Surging GLP‑1 sales — volume growth for Mounjaro and Zepbound more than offset price erosion, with Zepbound sales up sharply YoY; management cites sustained global demand as the revenue engine. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory moat tightening — FDA proposed excluding active ingredients for Lilly and Novo Nordisk GLP‑1s from the bulk compounding list, which would limit large‑scale compounding and support branded volumes/pricing if finalized. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: New oral pill rollout and pipeline catalysts — Lilly launched the oral GLP‑1 Foundayo (early prescription numbers mixed) and signed a $2.25B AI/genetic‑medicine pact to expand long‑term growth optionality; these are potential multi‑quarter drivers but not yet material to Q1 results. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Pricing pressure and competitive risks — management noted lower realized prices for GLP‑1s even as volumes rose; separately, approvals of generics abroad and early mixed uptake data for Foundayo create execution and margin risks ahead. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Corporate/market scrutiny — heavy insider selling and active analyst debate about longer‑term estimates add volatility risk despite the beat. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LLY shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,293.00 to $1,294.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Leerink Partners cut their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,296.00 to $1,058.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Guggenheim raised their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,163.00 to $1,183.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $1,250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,313.00 to $1,327.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,216.52.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 5.8% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 1,165 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Main Street Research LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 104.9% in the first quarter. Main Street Research LLC now owns 2,908 shares of the company's stock worth $2,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,489 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 11,002 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,119,000 after buying an additional 1,865 shares during the period. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 16.2% in the first quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,025 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,862,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 8,093 shares of the company's stock worth $7,444,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company's stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 10.1%

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $948.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $985.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $885.33 billion, a PE ratio of 40.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.51.

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.

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