The average 12–18-month price target for Eli Lilly is $1,325, about 11% above its current share price of $1,193; 25 of the 30 analysts covering the company rate it buy or strong buy. Targets range from Citigroup’s $1,600 to HSBC’s $940.
Lilly shares have gained 10.1% in 2026, compared with about 12.5% for the S&P 500, and trade at roughly 40 times trailing earnings. Its tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss, overtook Merck’s Keytruda as the world’s top-selling drug in the third quarter of 2025.
Morgan Stanley projects the GLP-1 market will reach $190 billion by 2045, more than double its 2025 size. The bank raised its forecast by $40 billion, citing oral therapies and expanded U.S. Medicare coverage. Novo Nordisk has developed an oral GLP-1 weight-loss drug, Wegovy; Lilly’s tirzepatide patents extend into the late 2030s, with follow-on patents covering delivery devices, formulations and treatment methods. The article’s author says Lilly is expensive but is more bullish on it than the average analyst, citing the market outlook and patents.
