Eli Lilly (LLY) is a leading pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products. The company focuses on major areas such as cardiometabolic health, immunology, oncology, and neuroscience.

About LLY Stock

Eli Lilly’s stock has seen plenty of volatility this year and stands at a loss of 2% in the year to date. The stock is up roughly 3% in the last month but down close to 11% in its past three months. It is also down just under 2% over the past 52 weeks. 

Taking a long-term view, the stock has gained 73% in the last two years and nearly 390% in the last five years.

Eli Lilly Miss EPS Estimates

Eli Lilly posted its first-quarter results on May 1. Revenue increased 45% to $12.73 billion, beating analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. However, the company’s profit of $3.34 per adjusted share missed analysts’ $3.52-per-share estimate.

Sales for Mounjaro came to $3.84 billion, a 113% rise year-over-year, and also beat analysts’ $3.75 billion estimate. Zepbound generated $2.31 billion in revenue, also beating analysts’ $2.27 billion estimate while recording a 20.9% rise year-over-year. Jardiance grew 48% YoY to $1.01 billion, easily beating analysts’ $675 million estimate.

For 2025, management has reiterated its revenue guidance but has lowered its earnings expectations. Revenue is anticipated in a range of $58 billion to $61 billion, reflecting 32% annual growth at the midpoint. Eli Lilly lowered its earnings guidance from a range of $22.50 to $20.78 per share to a range of $22.28 to $20.78 per share.

Jim Cramer on Eli Lilly

Jim Cramer, the Mad Money host, emphasized Eli Lilly’s advantage in the weight-loss drug market, especially against rival Novo Nordisk (NVO). The expert pointed out that new data showed Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 drug to be significantly better than Novo Nordisk’s offering in terms of weight-loss effectiveness.

As per reports, participants who took Eli Lilly’s Zepbound lost an average of 50 pounds over 72 weeks, while participants who took Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy lost an average of 33 pounds. The key difference in the drug is, that Zepbound targets two hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, on the other hand, Wegovy only targets GLP-1.

Cramer argued that once investors recognize the clear superiority of Eli Lilly’s drug, its stock could see a major surge of around 100 points. Thus, he encouraged investors to buy up the stock “hand over fist” given the company’s solid position in the weight-loss market.

Analyst Takes on Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly has always been a favorite on Wall Street, receiving a “Strong Buy” rating from experts with a mean price target of $992.17, reflecting upside potential of 31% from current prices.

25 analysts have reviewed the stock and given it 21 “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Buy” rating, and three “Hold” ratings.