Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Stock Price Up 2.3% After Analyst Upgrade

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)’s share price shot up 2.3% during trading on Thursday after Argus raised their price target on the stock from $930.00 to $1,200.00. Argus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Eli Lilly and Company traded as high as $1,059.84 and last traded at $1,038.59. 3,585,182 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 4% from the average session volume of 3,455,708 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,015.21.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on LLY. National Bank Financial set a $1,286.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Truist Financial set a $1,281.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $985.00 to $1,205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, CICC Research upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,060.00 to $1,107.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,218.88.

Eli Lilly and Company News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Eli Lilly retains a buy rating on a strong 2026 outlook after robust results and guidance, reinforcing investor confidence in revenue growth from GLP-1s and other pipeline drivers. Eli Lilly (LLY) Retains Buy Rating on Strong 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades — including Freedom Capital moving LLY from hold to buy — add near-term demand/support for the stock and reflect bullish sentiment after the company’s recent results. Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) Gets Upgraded to Buy From Hold by Freedom Capital
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly announced a transformational acquisition (Orna Therapeutics) to expand its RNA platform — diversifies the pipeline and signals management is investing to extend long-term growth beyond GLP?1s. Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) to Acquire Orna Therapeutics in $2.4B Deal to Expand RNA Pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Local approval for a major manufacturing investment (Huntsville council sign-off) supports capacity expansion for anticipated product demand and signals commitment to scale production. Huntsville City Council approves Eli Lilly agreement to build $6 billion manufacturing plant
• Neutral Sentiment: Lilly has built roughly $1.5B of inventory of its experimental oral weight?loss pill (orforglipron) ahead of an FDA decision expected in April — signals confidence but raises execution/FDA risk until approval. Eli Lilly builds $1.5 billion stockpile of weight-loss pill ahead of FDA decision
• Neutral Sentiment: Separate reports note Lilly prepared $1B+ in orforglipron stock and larger pre-launch inventories — operationally positive if approved, but costly if rollout is delayed or restricted. Lilly Prepares $1B+ Orforglipron Stock Ahead of Approval as Novo Brings Wegovy Pill Overseas
• Neutral Sentiment: Early-stage clinical readouts (e.g., Brenipatide in schizophrenia) add optional upside to valuation if positive, but remain speculative until later?stage data. Eli Lilly’s Brenipatide Trial Adds Quiet Optionality in Schizophrenia
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: reports that Novo Nordisk is moving its Wegovy pill/shot strategies (selling overseas and in vials) highlight intensified competition in the obesity market, which could pressure pricing and share. Novo to follow Lilly and sell obesity shot Wegovy in vials

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 114.3% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. now owns 77,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,253,000 after buying an additional 41,222 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 189.6% in the third quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,283,000 after acquiring an additional 11,396 shares during the last quarter. Rede Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at about $487,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 25.8% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 8,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,859,000 after acquiring an additional 1,843 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Family Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,979,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.2%

The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $983.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,052.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $906.31.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $7.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.48 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.85 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 31.66% and a return on equity of 112.50%. The company’s revenue was up 42.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.32 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 33.500-35.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.73 per share. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is presently 30.15%.

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.