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Eli Lilly (LLY) Stock Moves -0.41%: What You Should Know

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In the latest trading session, Eli Lilly (LLY - Free Report) closed at $550.01, marking a -0.41% move from the previous day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's 1.47% loss on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 1.14%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.57%.

Coming into today, shares of the drugmaker had lost 0.29% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector lost 2.14%, while the S&P 500 lost 1.43%.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Eli Lilly as it approaches its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $2.88, up 45.45% from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $8.92 billion, up 28.53% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $9.84 per share and revenue of $33.62 billion. These totals would mark changes of +23.93% and +17.79%, respectively, from last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Eli Lilly should also be noted by investors. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

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. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.04% higher within the past month. Eli Lilly is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Eli Lilly has a Forward P/E ratio of 56.16 right now. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 14.72, 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 2.27 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. LLY's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.76 as of yesterday's close.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 200, which puts it in the bottom 21% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.


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