← All analysis
How do professionals look at LLY stock?

Eli Lilly: explosive growth and 95% Buy ratings, but the stock has nearly caught its targets

Revenue up 45%, a three-of-four Financial Scorecard, and 94.52% of 20 analysts rating Buy — yet Eli Lilly trades just 3% below its all-time high at 41x earnings, and the average target of $1,229.19 implies only about 7% upside. Current price: $1,149.75.

Educational content only — not financial advice. Always do your own research. Fundamentals from restnvest (SEC 10-K, 2026-02-12) · Analyst data from Anachart (2026-06-09)
drug-developmentbiotechnologychronic-disease
Three lenses on Eli Lilly. Are they aligned?
The business Strong
Financial health 3/4 · Revenue +44.7% · FCF margin 12.7% · ROIC 20.7%
The stock Sensible
Valuation 3/4 · P/E 40.8x · 3% below 52-week high · Timing 2/3
The analysts Strongly Bullish
20 analysts · 94.52% Buy · 4.11% Hold · 1.37% Sell · Avg target $1229.19 (+6.9% upside)
A standout grower with near-unanimous Buy ratings — and a stock that has already caught up to the consensus
All three lenses point the same way: the business is strong, the valuation scorecard is mostly sensible, and 94.52% of analysts rate the stock Buy. The catch is that the price has already risen to meet that optimism. At 41 times earnings, 3% below its all-time high, the average target implies just 7% upside. The debate isn't whether Eli Lilly is excellent — it's how much of that excellence the price already reflects.
The case for owning Eli Lilly
What the business fundamentals say
Strong

Changes over time: restnvest does not surface a Changes Over Time breakdown for Eli Lilly in this period, so no discontinued, sustained, evolved, or new-product items are available from the 10-K analysis — the counts default to zero.

From the 10-K filing · 2026-02-12
Investment thesis — LLY
Strong emphasis
Moderate
Strategic themes
Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologyChronic Disease ManagementGlobal Market Expansion
Competitive moats
PatentsBrand PowerScale Economies
Market opportunity

Eli Lilly competes in large, durable pharmaceutical markets — diabetes, oncology, immunology, and chronic disease management — where patent-protected medicines command premium pricing and recurring demand. Global expansion across North America, Europe, and Asia broadens the addressable base, while the breadth of the pipeline gives the company multiple shots at the next blockbuster therapy.

Value creation

Eli Lilly converts patent-protected drug franchises into rapid, high-margin growth: trailing revenue of $72.3 billion at a 35% net profit margin, with annual revenue up roughly 45%. Return on assets of 20.7% reflects efficient use of the capital base — used here in place of return on equity, which at 107% is distorted by leverage. Patents, brand strength, and manufacturing scale protect pricing and make the franchise difficult to displace.

Extracted from SEC 10-K. Full thesis on restnvest →
Stage 2 · Financial performance
Financial scorecard
3 of 4 strong
Growth quality
Scalable Growth
Profit quality
Cash-Backed Profits
Debt safety
Leverage With Support
Owner value quality
Compounding Equity
Rev growth +44.7% · FCF margin 12.7% · ROIC 20.7%
Bottom line: Revenue growing roughly 45% with a 35% profit margin and a 20.7% return on assets, three of four financial health signals strong, and 94.52% of covering analysts rating the stock Buy — a high-quality, fast-growing pharmaceutical franchise.
versus
The case for caution
What the stock price and analysts say
Sensible
Stage 3 · Valuation
Valuation scorecard
3 of 4 sensible
✗ Price discipline
Euphoric Entry — 3% below high, above 200-day trend
✓ Price tag
Sensible — P/E 40.8x supported by rapid growth
✓ Capital discipline
Sensible
✓ Doubling potential
Sensible
Stage 4 · Timing
Timing signals
2 of 3 supportive
Trend
Strengthening Structure
Momentum
Strong but Volatile
Stretch
Overheating
Trend: Both highs and lows are improving — structure is supportive
Momentum: Short-term and long-term pressure are both improving, though the gap is widening
Stretch: RSI balanced but selling pressure is heating up
Analyst conviction · Anachart · 2026-06-09
Where do analysts stand — and how much runway is left?

Y = price target. X = days remaining on call (negative = past expected hit window). Bubble size = Anachart Performance Score. Dashed vertical = the expected-hit boundary.

Buy
Hold
Sell
Upper-left · Fading signal
High target, window closing.
Upper-right · Most interesting
Bold call, plenty of runway.
Lower-left · Stale or wrong
Modest target, window closed.
Lower-right · Cautious coverage
Modest target, time left.

Chart shows 5 of 20 covering analysts. See all on Anachart →

Bottom line: The stock trades just 3% below its all-time high at 41 times earnings, in Euphoric Entry territory, and the average analyst target implies only about 7% upside — much of the optimism is already in the price.

The reconciliation

Eli Lilly's business case is straightforward and strong. Revenue grew roughly 45% to $72 billion on a trailing basis, the net profit margin is 35%, and return on assets is 20.7% — a figure used here in place of return on equity, which at 107% is distorted by the company's leverage. The Financial Scorecard reads 3 of 4 strong, with only Debt Safety rated mixed as leverage with support. Analysts agree emphatically: 94.52% rate the stock Buy, with just a single Sell. Where the picture turns more nuanced is price. The stock trades only 3% below its all-time high and above its 200-day average, which restnvest scores as Euphoric Entry, and at roughly 41 times earnings it is priced for continued rapid growth. The average analyst target of $1,229.19 sits just 6.97% above the recent price — modest headroom for a stock this widely followed. Timing is 2 of 3 supportive, so the near-term backdrop is constructive, but the Stretch signal is already overheating. The reconciliation is not a disagreement about quality. The fundamentals, the valuation scorecard, and the analyst consensus all lean positive. The single recurring caution is that the stock has already climbed to meet the optimism — the upside that remains is what the market has not yet priced, and on the consensus numbers that is only single digits.

Dive deeper into the fundamentals

See Eli Lilly's full 6-stage analysis on restnvest →
Sources
Fundamentals: restnvest — SEC 10-K, 2026-02-12. | Analysts: Anachart — 2026-06-09.
This is educational content only — not financial advice.