Wall Street Zen Downgrades Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) to Buy

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Eli Lilly from "strong-buy" to "buy," while the sell‑side consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $1,221.44.
• The company posted an earnings beat ($7.54 EPS vs. $7.48 est.) and revenue up 42.6% year‑over‑year, and set FY2026 guidance of 33.500–35.000 EPS, supporting strong fundamental momentum.
• Pipeline news is a mix of upside and risk: promising Phase 3 results for retatrutide and positive pediatric data for EBGLYSS expand commercial potential, but competitive pressure from Novo Nordisk's higher‑dose Wegovy and reported tolerability signals could temper uptake and sentiment.

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

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $1,313.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. CICC Research lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,107.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. National Bank Financial set a $1,286.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $1,300.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,221.44.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:LLY opened at $905.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $623.78 and a 1 year high of $1,133.95. The company has a market cap of $855.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.45, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.40. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $1,023.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $956.18.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.48 by $0.06. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 102.94% and a net margin of 31.66%.The company had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.32 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 42.6% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect 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

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 84.2% in the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 35 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: TRANSCEND‑T2D‑1 Phase 3: Lilly’s triple‑agonist retatrutide showed large A1C reductions and up to ~16.8% weight loss at 40 weeks — a potential blockbuster that expands Lilly’s obesity/diabetes franchise and supports long‑term revenue upside. Lilly PR Newswire
• Positive Sentiment: ADorable‑1 pediatric trial: Positive topline results for EBGLYSS in moderate‑to‑severe atopic dermatitis pediatric patients widen Lilly’s immunology pipeline and add another potential near‑term commercial opportunity. InsiderMonkey: ADorable‑1
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile endorsement: Jim Cramer publicly said “buy” on Lilly, which can boost retail demand and sentiment in the near term. Yahoo Finance: Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Pipeline breadth: Lilly advanced non‑GLP‑1 programs (digital sleep tech in early Alzheimer’s, a new diabetes candidate in Japan, and a master IBD trial), which diversify long‑term growth but have limited immediate revenue impact. TipRanks: Digital Sleep Tech
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and rating cuts: Recent downgrades (HSBC and others) have pressured sentiment and contributed to near‑term share weakness. AmericanBankingNews: Analyst Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and safety concerns: Novo Nordisk won FDA clearance for a higher‑dose Wegovy (raising competitive risk in obesity), and some reports flagged an unusual skin reaction/tolerability signal for retatrutide — both factors that can temper uptake forecasts and invite closer regulatory/physician scrutiny. Blockonomi: Wegovy dose Proactive: Retatrutide side‑effect note

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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