Erste Group Bank Analysts Boost Earnings Estimates for LLY

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank raised Eli Lilly’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $36.35 from $34.93, broadly in line with the $36.53 consensus and the company’s $35.50–$36.50 guidance range.
• Lilly’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $8.38 versus the $6.40 consensus and revenue of $22.97 billion versus $20.82 billion; revenue increased 47.7% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $1,295.39, although its trillion-dollar valuation and premium earnings multiple remain important risks.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Free Report) - Research analysts at Erste Group Bank lifted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Eli Lilly and Company in a research note issued on Tuesday, September 8th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the company will post earnings of $36.35 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $34.93. The consensus estimate for Eli Lilly and Company's current full-year earnings is $36.53 per share.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.40 by $1.98. The business had revenue of $22.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.82 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 97.83% and a net margin of 33.53%.The company's revenue was up 47.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.31 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on LLY. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,350.00 to $1,410.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,300.00 to $1,385.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday. HSBC increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock a "reduce" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,251.00 to $1,334.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,295.39.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $1,115.53 on Monday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $712.05 and a 1-year high of $1,292.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,183.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,073.30.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Maseco LLP lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 466.7% during the 1st quarter. Maseco LLP now owns 34 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Aventus Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 270.0% during the 1st quarter. Aventus Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 37 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 60.0% during the 1st quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 40 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Anat Hakim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,190.00, for a total transaction of $5,950,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,875 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,131,250. This represents a 29.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Donald Zakrowski sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,185.01, for a total value of $2,370,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,526 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,808,325.26. This represents a 56.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,500 shares of company stock worth $15,958,170. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Company's payout ratio is currently 23.22%.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Competitive position in obesity drugs: Morgan Stanley downgraded Novo Nordisk to Sell, citing expectations that Lilly will continue taking market share before semaglutide patent expiration becomes the primary issue. This reinforces the outlook for Lilly’s obesity and diabetes portfolio. Morgan Stanley Downgrades Novo Nordisk to Sell on Lilly Competition
• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings expectations: Erste Group raised its fiscal 2027 EPS forecast for LLY to $47.18 from $45.14, signaling confidence in continued earnings growth. Eli Lilly analyst earnings estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline diversification: Lilly completed its acquisition of AtaiBeckley, adding BPL-003, an investigational rapid-acting therapy for treatment-resistant depression and other mental-health conditions. The deal broadens Lilly’s pipeline beyond metabolic medicines. Lilly completes acquisition of AtaiBeckley
• Positive Sentiment: New growth opportunities: Lilly is using GLP-1-generated cash flow to expand into women’s health, including treatments for endometriosis and pregnancy-related disorders, while its immunology business and acquisitions create additional potential growth engines. Lilly expands women’s health initiatives
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and momentum are in focus: Recent coverage highlights Lilly’s trillion-dollar market capitalization, roughly 50% GLP-1 revenue growth and a recent pullback. These support the long-term story but leave investors questioning how much future growth is already reflected in the stock price. Eli Lilly valuation and growth outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and spending risks: The AtaiBeckley purchase requires Lilly to fund a clinical-stage program with uncertain outcomes, while investors remain sensitive to the company’s premium valuation and its ability to sustain rapid growth as competition increases.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of medical conditions. Its portfolio includes treatments for diabetes and obesity, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease and other areas of significant unmet medical need.

The company's products include Mounjaro and Trulicity for diabetes, Zepbound for chronic weight management, and insulin products such as Humalog. Lilly also markets Verzenio for certain breast cancers and Kisunla for the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease.

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