Opinions The Weekly Buzzing Stocks by Billy Kawasaki
Eli Lilly & Co.LLYTOP PICKSep 12, 2024
Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 25, 2026. Market Open.
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Clear leader in diabetes and weight loss. Other players are coming in, but this name is ahead of the curve. Very strong earnings growth over next few years (50% for 2026, 22% for 2027, 17% for 2028). Reliable aspects of a pharmaceutical healthcare name, plus very strong earnings growth.
RSI is 70, so wait for a bit of a pullback.
Stan WongLargest pharma company in the US, and possibly the world. Breaking out to fresh all-time highs. Leading GLP-1 drugs. 150-year history of healthcare innovation.
Obesity + diabetes comprise ~55% of revenues, and growing fast. Also into oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and more. Well-insulated from patent cliffs. 80% of marketed drugs are "biologic", which stand up better to generic competition. Prolific FCF. M&A frenzy this year on top of pretty robust R&D. Yield is 0.61% (growing 15% compound pace over last 5 years, should continue).
Brian MaddenHas owned a long time in the growth fund. It is a leader in GLP 1. Every year the weight loss drugs seem to be able to treat another condition so it is a bit of a miracle drug. Is still early for these drugs. It is expensive so if you want something else you could try Thermo Fisher for broad exposure. The health care sector still has an overhang from Covid and the US government has pulled back on spending.
Jamie Murray What we're seeing now are expectations settling after a very strong runup. Still at the centre of the biggest shift in healthcare. Keeps expanding its opportunities and taking market share.
Brianne GardnerWinning the weight-loss drug war. Active pipeline.
Bruce Murray
Breaking out to new highs. Bit more diversified than NVO, and a bit more stable. Supposed to come out with pill form for weight loss sometime this year. Well above 200-day MA, which is starting to push higher. Prefers this name.
NVO is more focused on 2 areas: diabetes and weight loss. Recently announced pill version for weight loss, and that's very positive. Valuation's quite cheap. Competitive pricing, regulatory scrutiny. Trades at 17x PE, but earnings growth forecast looks cloudy for next couple of years. Might be building a base, but still a tad below 200-day MA.
Both have signed agreement with US government for expansion in Medicare, albeit with lower pricing.
Stan WongWeight-loss space is currently a battle between NVO and LLY, though other competitors will arrive on the scene in the next 5-10 years. LLY secured way more capacity than NVO did. LLY executed better, and revenue and sales should grow much faster.
Huge drop in NVO makes it more interesting, but LLY still has the better growth outlook (including the pill version when it hits the market later this year).
Jamie Murray 
Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. The company provides Alimta for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma; Cyramza for metastatic gastric cancer, gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma, metastatic NSCLC, metastatic colorectal cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma; Erbitux for colorectal cancers, and various head and neck cancers; Retevmo for metastatic NSCLC, medullary thyroid cancer, and thyroid cancer; Tyvyt for relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin's lymph and non-squamous NSCLC; and Verzenio for HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer, node positive, and early breast cancer. It offers Olumiant for rheumatoid arthritis; and Taltz for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis. The company offers Cymbalta for depressive disorder, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain; Emgality for migraine prevention and episodic cluster headache; and Zyprexa for schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, and bipolar maintenance. Social media mentions are up 650% in the past 24h.