Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Stock Price Up 3.6% – Time to Buy?

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) traded up 3.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $1,081.33 and last traded at $1,078.9780. 3,644,777 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 18% from the average session volume of 3,095,516 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,041.29.

Key Headlines Impacting Eli Lilly and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA grants Breakthrough Therapy designation to sofetabart (mipitecan) for certain platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer patients — a meaningful regulatory acceleration for an oncology candidate that could add a new high‑value revenue stream if approved. Lilly’s sofetabart mipitecan receives U.S. FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy designation
• Positive Sentiment: SURMOUNT‑REAL UK phase 4 study update tests tirzepatide in a real‑world obesity population — progress that supports commercial durability and label expansion for Lilly’s obesity franchise. Lilly’s SURMOUNT-REAL UK Trial: Real-World Test of Tirzepatide’s Obesity Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Retatrutide trial shows potential linkage between obesity treatment and knee osteoarthritis symptom relief — an indication expansion that could broaden patient populations and lengthen treatment duration. Eli Lilly’s Retatrutide Trial Links Obesity Treatment With Knee Osteoarthritis Relief Potential
• Positive Sentiment: New Phase 2 oral candidate for diabetic neuropathic pain advances Lilly’s pain pipeline — diversification beyond GLP‑1s that investors view as adding long‑term growth optionality. Eli Lilly Expands Its Pain Pipeline With New Phase 2 Trial in Diabetic Nerve Pain
• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish analyst pieces highlight LLY’s leadership in GLP‑1 obesity/diabetes drugs and longer‑term earnings growth, supporting investor optimism ahead of results. Eli Lilly: Buy Ahead Of Its Earnings Day (Preview)
• Neutral Sentiment: Lilly confirmed its Q4 2025 results and conference call date (Feb. 4) — a scheduled catalyst that could drive short‑term volatility around guidance and commentary. Lilly confirms date and conference call for fourth-quarter 2025 financial results announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target tweak: Guggenheim slightly trimmed its price target while keeping a buy rating — a modest signal but not a major change to consensus bullishness. LLY: price target lowered by Guggenheim
• Neutral Sentiment: Rumors of an Abivax takeover by Lilly were publicly dismissed by Abivax’s CEO — market noise that briefly affected small‑cap peers but is not company‑driving for Lilly. Abivax CEO dismisses ‘noise’ around rumored Eli Lilly bid
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk: commentary on Novo Nordisk’s new CEO raising the rivalry could pressure sentiment around pricing, marketing and market share in GLP‑1s. That competition is a medium‑term headwind investors watch closely. Novo Nordisk: How Inspiring New CEO Will Take Fight To Key Rival Eli Lilly In 2026

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. 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 note on Thursday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,050.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,174.61.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,053.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $875.14. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 52.79, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.35.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 109.52% and a net margin of 30.99%.The business had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company’s revenue was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, equities research 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 $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. grew its stake in 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 valued at $60,253,000 after acquiring an additional 41,222 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 11,396 shares in the last quarter. Rede Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $487,000. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 25.8% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 8,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,859,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843 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 (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.