Lilly beats earnings estimates, issues upbeat forecast on soaring weight‑loss drug demand
BNN Bloomberg
Eli Lilly forecast 2026 profit and revenue above Wall Street estimates on Wednesday and beat estimates for quarterly earnings as the world’s most valuable drugmaker sees strong demand for its obesity drugs.
Shares of the company rose over seven per cent in premarket trading.
Lilly last year became the first pharmaceutical company to hit a US$1 trillion valuation, driven by the popularity of its weight-loss drug, Zepbound, in a rapidly expanding obesity market that is seeing newer avenues to bolster growth.
Lilly’s upbeat outlook stands in sharp contrast to that of rival Novo Nordisk, which has warned of “unprecedented” price pressures in 2026 after rattling investors with a forecast for a steep sales drop this year.
For the fourth quarter, the drugmaker reported a profit of $7.54 per share. Analysts were expecting $6.67, according to data compiled by LSEG. Revenue increased to $19.3 billion, ahead of Wall Street expectations of $17.96 billion.
Lilly expects to earn $33.50 to $35 per share on an adjusted basis this year, above analysts’ average estimate of $33.23 per share. Sales are expected to be in the range of $80 billion to $83 billion, ahead of estimates of $77.62 billion.
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