Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for LLY Earnings

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) – Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report released on Monday, December 9th. Zacks Research analyst K. Shah now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $5.22 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $5.24. The consensus estimate for Eli Lilly and Company’s current full-year earnings is $13.21 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Eli Lilly and Company’s Q3 2026 earnings at $7.92 EPS.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.34). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.48% and a return on equity of 71.08%. The firm had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

LLY has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Evercore ISI raised Eli Lilly and Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $1,106.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,025.00 to $1,015.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,002.22.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY stock opened at $796.88 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market cap of $756.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $839.37 and its 200 day moving average is $871.92. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52 week low of $561.65 and a 52 week high of $972.53.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.86%.

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 900 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $803.38, for a total transaction of $723,042.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,480 shares in the company, valued at $4,402,522.40. This trade represents a 14.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the third quarter valued at $30,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 45.5% during the second quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 48 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

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.