Wall Street Zen Downgrades Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) to Buy

Posted by Brian Himes on Jul 20th, 2026

Eli Lilly and Company logo Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY – Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on LLY. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,230.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,235.00 to $1,273.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $880.00 to $900.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,330.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,500.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,283.64.

Read Our Latest Research Report on LLY

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $1,178.01 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,118.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,036.51. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $623.78 and a 1-year high of $1,249.45. The firm has a market cap of $1.11 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.51.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $1.58. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 105.77% and a net margin of 34.98%.The firm had revenue of $19.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 55.5% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-37.000 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 34.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ballast Inc. increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 10.9% during the second quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 4,427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,310,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.2% in the second quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,592,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Northside Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.0% in the second quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC now owns 20,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,061,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.6% during the second quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,599,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 5.8% during the second quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Eli Lilly and Company

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

Positive Sentiment: Lilly’s acquisition of AtaiBeckley adds late-stage psychedelic assets, including BPL-003, and broadens its neuroscience pipeline. Lilly to acquire AtaiBeckley to advance therapies for treatment-resistant depression and other mental health conditions
Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary say the deal reinforces Big Pharma’s interest in psychedelic therapies and could strengthen Lilly’s long-term growth story beyond obesity and diabetes. AtaiBeckley acquisition highlights growing Big Pharma interest in psychedelics, says Jefferies
Neutral Sentiment: Lilly also announced an update on an ongoing ALS study, indicating continued clinical development activity across its broader pipeline. Lilly Expands ALS Pipeline With Long-Term Safety Study for LY4256984
Neutral Sentiment: LLY stock is being described as holding near a buy zone and key support ahead of second-quarter results, suggesting investors are also watching upcoming earnings for confirmation of the growth outlook. Eli Lilly Stock Hovers In Buy Zone, Finds Key Support Amid $3 Billion Deal
Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary suggests the acquisition may pressure sentiment in the near term because Lilly is paying a significant price for an asset that still carries clinical and regulatory risk. This Psychedelic Pharma Stock Is Soaring 50% on Report of Eli Lilly Takeover Talks

About Eli Lilly and Company

(Get Free Report)

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.