Is Eli Lilly Stock's Run Too Hot? Here Is How It Can Crash

Group 1 - Eli Lilly's stock has surged by 21% this month due to strong third-quarter earnings and a favorable pricing deal for obesity drugs with the U.S. government [2] - The company's market capitalization has exceeded $900 billion, driven by a threefold increase in sales of its GLP-1 weight-loss products like Zepbound [3] - Despite recent successes, Eli Lilly faces challenges from increasing competition in the obesity market and potential pricing scrutiny that could impact future profit margins [3] Group 2 - Historical trends indicate that Eli Lilly's stock is not immune to significant market downturns, with past declines of approximately 43% during the Dot-Com bubble and over 50% during the Global Financial Crisis [7] - The competition for GLP-1 products is intensifying, with 16 new weight-loss medications expected by 2029, which could threaten Eli Lilly's market share [9] - Patent expirations, particularly for Trulicity, which generated $7.1 billion in sales in 2023, pose a risk to future revenue as it faces a significant decline in sales projected for 2024 [9] Group 3 - Eli Lilly's revenue growth has been impressive, with a 36.8% growth over the last twelve months and a 23.4% average growth over the last three years [10] - The company has a free cash flow margin of nearly -0.09% and an operating margin of 43.0% for the last twelve months [10] - The stock is currently trading at a P/E multiple of 64.3, indicating a high valuation relative to earnings [10]