Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Up 3.7% – Still a Buy?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) traded up 3.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $1,275.88 and last traded at $1,253.9370. 3,730,706 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 26% from the average daily volume of 2,957,309 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,208.74.

Key Stories Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: New analyses support Omvoh (mirikizumab) as a potential higher-standard treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. In the LUCENT-2 ulcerative-colitis study, 27.7% of treated patients achieved comprehensive corticosteroid-free disease control, while 20.4% of Crohn’s disease patients in VIVID-1 achieved corticosteroid-free deep remission. Benefits were also observed among patients who had previously failed biologic therapy, strengthening Omvoh’s commercial positioning. Omvoh composite outcomes data
• Positive Sentiment: Retatrutide, Lilly’s experimental triple-agonist obesity drug, remains a major future growth opportunity after reportedly producing substantial weight loss in late-stage testing. A potential regulatory filing in early 2027 gives investors another catalyst beyond Mounjaro and Zepbound, although approval is not guaranteed. Retatrutide availability
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly is broadening its pipeline through oncology and immunology activity, including a collaboration evaluating Adlai Nortye’s investigational AN4035 with cetuximab, plus updates involving donanemab and lebrikizumab. These programs add longer-term diversification beyond obesity medicines. Adlai Nortye collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Lilly will release third-quarter 2026 results on October 29. Investors will focus on demand for its GLP-1 products, supply expansion, margins and whether management maintains its full-year EPS outlook. Lilly third-quarter earnings date
• Negative Sentiment: After a powerful multi-year rally and a market capitalization above $1 trillion, valuation and profit-taking could limit further upside. Commentary also raises the possibility of a stock split, but a split would not change Lilly’s underlying earnings or intrinsic value. Eli Lilly stock split analysis

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LLY shares. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,370.00 to $1,376.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,419.00 to $1,430.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock a “reduce” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,273.00 to $1,284.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Eli Lilly and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,313.43.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market cap of $1.18 trillion, a PE ratio of 42.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,177.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,104.28.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.40 by $1.98. The firm 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 47.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.31 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS. Analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 34.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total value of $7,638,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,628,139.70. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 1,526 shares in the company, valued at $1,808,325.26. This represents a 56.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock valued at $15,958,170. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 3.3% during the third quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 10,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,006,000 after buying an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Financial Harvest LLC increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Harvest LLC now owns 253 shares of the company’s stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 56.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 784,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $908,234,000 after acquiring an additional 283,911 shares in the last quarter. Brindle & Bay Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 42.8% in the 3rd quarter. Brindle & Bay Financial Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,647,000 after acquiring an additional 13 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 is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly, the company researches, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cancer, immunological disorders, neurological diseases and pain.

Its products include Mounjaro and Zepbound, which contain tirzepatide and are used for type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management, respectively. Other key medicines include Trulicity for diabetes, Verzenio for certain breast cancers, Taltz for inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, Humalog insulin, and Kisunla for early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.