Zacks Research Brokers Increase Earnings Estimates for LLY

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) – Zacks Research increased their Q2 2025 earnings per share estimates for Eli Lilly and Company in a research note issued on Thursday, February 27th. Zacks Research analyst K. Shah now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $5.48 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $5.26. The consensus estimate for Eli Lilly and Company’s current full-year earnings is $23.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Eli Lilly and Company’s Q4 2025 earnings at $7.09 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $23.32 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $9.40 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $31.12 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $39.04 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on LLY. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $970.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,000.28.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY opened at $910.92 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $819.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $848.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The company has a market cap of $863.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $711.40 and a 12-month high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FWG Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. FWG Holdings LLC now owns 2,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,640,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Morling Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Morling Financial Advisors LLC now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Eli Lilly and Company’s payout ratio is currently 51.24%.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, December 9th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.