Eli Lilly Raises 2026 Outlook Following First-Quarter Beat

-- Eli Lilly (LLY) raised its full-year outlook on Thursday while the drugmaker reported first-quarter results above market estimates, as sales of its Mounjaro diabetes treatment more than doubled year over year.

The drugmaker now expects adjusted earnings to be in a range of $35.50 to $37 per share for 2026, up from its previous projections of $33.50 to $35. Revenue is pegged at $82 billion to $85 billion, compared with the prior guidance of $80 billion to $83 billion.

The current consensus on FactSet is for non-GAAP EPS of $34.51 and sales of $82.07 billion for the year.

"2026 is off to a strong start, we delivered 56% revenue growth in the first quarter and raised our full-year revenue guidance by $2 billion," Chief Executive David Ricks said in a statement. "We also delivered pipeline progress across all four therapeutic areas and continued investing in Lilly's future growth through four acquisitions."

For the quarter ended March, Eli Lilly's adjusted EPS soared to $8.55 from $3.34 the year before, surpassing the Street's view of $6.97. Revenue jumped to $19.8 billion from $12.73 billion, well ahead of the average analyst estimate of $17.82 billion.

The stock climbed 6.2% in the most recent premarket activity.

Sales in the US advanced 43% to $12.1 billion, boosted by a 49% increase in volume, partially offset by lower prices, driven by weight-loss drug Zepbound and plaque psoriasis treatment Taltz, according to the firm. Revenue from non-US markets surged 81% to $7.7 billion amid volume growth of 95%.

Revenue from Mounjaro spiked to $8.66 billion from $3.84 billion last year, amid gains in the US and international markets, boosted by robust demand and volume growth, respectively. Zepbound sales climbed to $4.16 billion from $2.31 billion, buoyed by higher demand.

Eli Lilly said a recent milestone for the company was the US Food and Drug Administration's approval of its Foundayo, or orforglipron, drug for adults with obesity, or overweight with weight-related medical problems. In an emailed client note, Truist Securities said it believes the new product is likely to expand the market and not "cannibalize" it.