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Eli Lilly (LLY) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know

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Eli Lilly (LLY - Free Report) closed at $458.84 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.25% move from the prior day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.77% loss on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.65%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 2.23%.

Coming into today, shares of the drugmaker had gained 7.11% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector gained 0.41%, while the S&P 500 gained 4.66%.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Eli Lilly as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Eli Lilly to post earnings of $1.97 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 57.6%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $7.51 billion, up 15.71% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $8.79 per share and revenue of $31.44 billion. These totals would mark changes of +10.71% and +10.17%, respectively, from last year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Eli Lilly. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.07% higher. Eli Lilly currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, Eli Lilly is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 52.06. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 14.91, so we one might conclude that Eli Lilly is trading at a premium comparatively.

Investors should also note that LLY has a PEG ratio of 2.09 right now. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.74 as of yesterday's close.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 82, putting it in the top 33% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow LLY in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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