Buy, Sell or Hold Lilly Stock? Key Tips Ahead of Q3 Earnings

Core Insights - Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) is set to report its Q3 2025 earnings on October 30, with sales and earnings estimates at $16.01 billion and $6.02 per share respectively [1][7] - Earnings estimates for 2025 have decreased from $23.15 per share to $22.73 per share over the past month [1] Earnings Performance - The company's performance has been mixed, exceeding earnings expectations in two of the last four quarters while missing in the other two, resulting in an average earnings surprise of negative 2.31% [3] - In the last reported quarter, LLY achieved a positive earnings surprise of 12.48% [3] Earnings Expectations - LLY has an Earnings ESP of -0.66% and holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) [4] - Companies with a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of 1, 2, or 3 have a higher likelihood of beating earnings estimates [5] Key Growth Drivers - The primary drivers for LLY's top-line growth in Q3 are expected to be its GLP-1 drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, which have seen high demand [6][7] - Sales estimates for Mounjaro and Zepbound are $5.48 billion and $3.45 billion respectively, with LLY's own estimates at $5.33 billion and $3.46 billion [8] Competitive Landscape - CVS Caremark has excluded Zepbound from its preferred drug list, which negatively impacted prescriptions in July and is expected to affect growth in Q3 [9] - Competitive dynamics have also hurt sales of Trulicity, with patient switches to Mounjaro and lower realized prices affecting revenues [11] Product Performance - Sales estimates for other key drugs include Trulicity at $1.05 billion, Taltz at $919 million, Verzenio at $1.58 billion, Jardiance at $687 million, Olumiant at $263 million, and Emgality at $196 million [11] - Newer products like Ebglyss, Jaypirca, Kisunla, and Omvoh are anticipated to contribute to sales growth [12] Strategic Initiatives - LLY is diversifying beyond GLP-1 drugs into cardiovascular, oncology, and neuroscience areas, with several M&A deals announced in 2025 [25] - The acquisition of Adverum Biotechnologies aims to enhance LLY's pipeline with gene therapies for vision loss [26] Market Position - LLY's stock has increased by 6.9% this year, outperforming the industry average of 5.6% [14] - Despite facing pricing pressures and competition, LLY remains the largest drugmaker with strong growth prospects [30]