Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.06 EPS

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $7.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.48 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 112.50% and a net margin of 31.66%.The business had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.32 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company updated its FY 2026 guidance to 33.500-35.000 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Eli Lilly and Company’s conference call:

• Financial strength: Lilly reported 2025 revenue of $65.2 billion (+45%) and EPS of $24.21 (+86%), and guided 2026 revenue to $80–83 billion with EPS of $33.50–35.00, signaling material top? and bottom?line growth expectations.
• Orforglipron and oral expansion: Lilly submitted Orforglipron for obesity in the U.S. and 40+ countries, expects a U.S. launch in Q2 2026, and is positioning oral GLP?1s as market?expanding rather than purely cannibalistic.
• Retatrutide efficacy: Phase 3 TRIUMPH?4 showed retatrutide 12 mg produced an average 29% weight loss at 68 weeks and large pain/function improvements in knee osteoarthritis, supporting potential use for patients with severe obesity and comorbidities.
• Access and pricing tradeoffs: Lilly agreed with the U.S. government to offer obesity medicines to Medicare/Medicaid patients at a $50/month out?of?pocket copay (effective by July 1, 2026), while warning that price concessions will drag 2026 growth in the low? to mid?teens but should be offset by volume expansion over time.
• R&D and pipeline momentum: The company highlighted broad late?stage progress—including full FDA approval and label expansion for pirtobrutinib and ~80% PFS risk reduction in a frontline CLL study—alongside 36 active Phase 3 programs and multiple new trial starts and BD deals.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 2.5%

Eli Lilly and Company stock traded up $25.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,046.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,542,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,344,982. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $623.78 and a 52-week high of $1,133.95. The company has a market cap of $989.35 billion, a PE ratio of 45.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $1,052.61 and its 200 day moving average is $896.17.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 29.35%.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and bullish 2026 guidance — Lilly reported revenue and EPS above expectations and issued aggressive 2026 guidance driven by Zepbound/Mounjaro and upcoming orforglipron launch; that outlook is the primary driver of the stock rally. Eli Lilly shares soar after Q4 beat, strong forecast on weight-loss drugs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raise targets — Multiple firms (Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Cantor Fitzgerald) lifted price targets and reiterated overweight/outperform ratings after the quarter, giving the stock near?term upside support from institutional sentiment. Analyst target raises
• Positive Sentiment: Capacity expansion and manufacturing edge — Lilly is scaling GLP?1 manufacturing and investing heavily in new facilities (including a $3.5B PA plant), which reduces supply risk and supports a volume?led defense versus pricing pressure. Eli Lilly Expands GLP-1 Capacity While Building Beyond Obesity And Diabetes
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory action may blunt compounding threat — The FDA signaled it will crack down on compounded copies of weight?loss drugs, which reduces the risk that low?cost compounding will meaningfully erode branded volumes/pricing. Eli Lilly Stock (LLY) Rebounds After FDA Says It Will Crackdown on Weight-Loss Drug Copies
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer?term momentum metrics — Zacks and other screeners flag Lilly as a top?ranked growth stock due to strong fundamentals, which supports buy?and?hold interest but doesn’t change near?term volatility. Eli Lilly (LLY) is a Top-Ranked Growth Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Fund flows: institutional trimming noted — Alecta trimmed its stake; worth monitoring but not a clear directional signal by itself. Alecta Pensionsforsakring trims Eli Lilly And Company stake
• Negative Sentiment: Cheap compounded GLP?1s increase near?term pricing/volume risk — Hims & Hers’ $49/month compounded semaglutide announcement triggered sharp intraday weakness as investors reassess pricing durability and potential share loss for orforglipron. This is the main source of the recent sell?off/volatility. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly fall after Hims & Hers announce $49 copy of Wegovy pill
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation/investigation headlines — Firms (Scott+Scott) and others are probing Lilly’s directors/officers and some acquisition terms (Ventyx), adding legal overhang and potential distraction for investors. Investor alert — Scott+Scott investigates Eli Lilly

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 27.1% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 4,525,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,823,977,000 after buying an additional 964,675 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $325,000,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 30.5% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,017,898 shares of the company’s stock valued at $793,481,000 after purchasing an additional 238,005 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,726,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,496,364,000 after purchasing an additional 219,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 178.1% during the third quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 284,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,425,000 after purchasing an additional 182,504 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Zacks Research cut Eli Lilly and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,150.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, CICC Research raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $801.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,201.17.

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.