Regardless of what’s happening elsewhere in the market, biopharma is a great place to look for stocks to pack into your portfolio because there’s always an illness that can be treated more effectively in the future than it is being treated today.
Our trade alert features an established drug maker with an excellent approval history. Their treatments have been widely trusted for years, and currently, they have multiple promising projects in the pipeline.
Global healthcare leader Eli Lilly And Company (LLY) has been creating high-quality medicines for over a century. The drug firm focuses on endocrinology, oncology, neuroscience, and immunology. Key products include Trulicity, Jardiance, Humalog, and Humulin for diabetes; Taltz and Olumiant for immunology; and Verzenio and Alimta for cancer.
The mega-cap pharmaceutical giant’s pipeline is locked and loaded with promising advancements, which means plenty of potential opportunities for investors to benefit. In the first half of 2022, Lilly received word that the FDA was fast-tracking its investigation of tirzepatide. A drug designed to treat adults who are overweight with weight-related comorbidities such as diabetes. Eli Lilly expects its rolling application to be completed by April 2023.
JPMorgan analyst Chris Schott recently summed up his bullish outlook on LLY. The analyst believes that Eli Lilly remains the best-positioned growth story in his coverage and one of his top picks following the stock’s pullback over the past month. The analyst sees a “significant opportunity” for Tirzepadite in type 2 diabetes and obesity, which in his view, “warrants increased attention.” Schott currently gives the stock an Overweight rating and a $300 price target.
Lilly’s share price is up nearly 20% this year and seems likely to continue to gain steam into the new year. The stock sports a dividend of $0.98 or 1.21% annually. LLY’s dividend payout for the year is set for the low 40% range, which should allow for robust future dividend growth.
A strong pipeline and a stable dividend make Eli Lilly an attractive consideration. The pros on Wall Street also think so. Among 17 polled analysts, 14 say to Buy LLY, 2 call it a Hold, and only 1 rates the stock a Sell. A median 12-month price target of $351 represents a 9% increase from its current price.
