Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Forecast for LLY Earnings

15 Sep 2026, 01:13 by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY – Free Report) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, September 8th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the company will earn $36.35 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $34.93. The consensus estimate for Eli Lilly and Company’s current full-year earnings is $36.53 per share.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $8.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.40 by $1.98. The firm had revenue of $22.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.82 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 97.83% and a net margin of 33.53%.The company’s revenue was up 47.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.31 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 35.500-36.500 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. UBS Group set a $1,376.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,280.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,300.00 to $1,385.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock a “reduce” rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,295.39.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:LLY opened at $1,138.96 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,182.43 and its 200-day moving average is $1,073.98. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $712.05 and a 52-week high of $1,292.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $1.07 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.22, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LLY. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,959,000. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 70.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,144,000 after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 17.5% during the second quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC now owns 10,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,521 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 85.6% in the second quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,072,000 after purchasing an additional 9,638 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 9.9% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 5,055,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,649,464,000 after purchasing an additional 454,549 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, EVP Anat Hakim sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,190.00, for a total value of $5,950,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,875 shares in the company, valued at $14,131,250. This represents a 29.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,175.10, for a total value of $7,638,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 54,147 shares in the company, valued at $63,628,139.70. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock valued at $15,958,170. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.22%.

Trending Headlines about Eli Lilly and Company

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

Positive Sentiment: Foundayo is gaining share in oral weight-loss drugs. Eli Lilly said its Foundayo pill has captured more than 30% of new U.S. patients taking oral obesity treatments, narrowing Novo’s early lead. The update supports Lilly’s ability to compete in the expanding GLP-1 market. Reuters article
Positive Sentiment: Citigroup issued a bullish outlook. Citi established a Street-high price target that implies substantial upside, arguing that Lilly’s strong obesity-drug franchise and business momentum are not fully reflected in the shares. Citigroup price-target article
Positive Sentiment: Recent operating performance remains strong. Investor commentary highlighted better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue growth driven by Mounjaro and Zepbound demand. The company reported quarterly revenue of approximately $23 billion, up nearly 48% year over year, reinforcing the growth case. Quiver Quantitative article
Neutral Sentiment: The recent decline has attracted dip-buying interest. LLY trades well below its August peak, prompting debate over whether the pullback is an opportunity. Analysts note that the company’s fundamentals remain resilient, but the stock’s valuation and limited history of recovering from sharp declines make timing uncertain. Trefis article
Negative Sentiment: Competition and regulatory concerns remain risks. Novo rebranded as “Novo” as it seeks to regain momentum in the obesity-drug market, while reports of unauthorized versions of an unapproved Lilly drug could create safety, regulatory and reputational issues. Wall Street Journal article

About Eli Lilly and Company

(Get Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of medical conditions. Its portfolio includes treatments for diabetes and obesity, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease and other areas of significant unmet medical need.

The company’s products include Mounjaro and Trulicity for diabetes, Zepbound for chronic weight management, and insulin products such as Humalog. Lilly also markets Verzenio for certain breast cancers and Kisunla for the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.