Beijing May Prioritize Consumers in the Year of the Horse: Strategies to Consider.
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 15 2026
0mins
Should l Buy LLY?
Source: Barron's
- Economic Outlook: As China enters the Year of the Fire Horse, there is an expectation of a lower official economic growth target from Beijing.
- Focus Shift: The Chinese government is anticipated to prioritize reviving consumer confidence and spending over previous economic strategies.
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Analyst Views on LLY
Wall Street analysts forecast LLY stock price to rise
20 Analyst Rating
18 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 886.630
Low
950.00
Averages
1192
High
1500
Current: 886.630
Low
950.00
Averages
1192
High
1500
About LLY
Eli Lilly and Company is a medicine company, which discovers, develops, manufactures, and market products in a single business segment called human pharmaceutical products. The Company manufacture and distribute its products through facilities in the United States, including Puerto Rico, and in Europe and Asia. The Company’s products are sold in approximately 90 countries. Its Cardiometabolic Health products Basaglar; Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, and others; Humulin, Humulin 70/30, and others; Jardiance; Mounjaro; Trulicity; Zepbound, and others. Its oncology products include Cyramza, Erbitux, Tyvyt, Verzenio, Retevmo, Jaypirca, and others. Its immunology products include Ebglyss, Olumiant, Omvoh, and Taltz. Its neuroscience products include Emgality and Kisunla. Its LillyDirect, a direct-to-patient digital health care platform, provides delivery of select Lilly medicines dispensed by third-party pharmacies to patients.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Centessa Pharmaceuticals Acquired by Eli Lilly for Up to $7.8 Billion
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- Market Potential Analysis: According to Oppenheimer, Centessa's experimental therapies could capture a significant share of the $20 billion market for severe sleep disorder treatments, further enhancing Eli Lilly's strategic diversification of its development pipeline.
- Regulatory and Shareholder Approval: The transaction is projected to close in the third quarter, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, and upon completion, Centessa's shareholders will receive a non-transferrable contingent value right valued at up to $9 per share.
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Centessa Pharmaceuticals Acquired by Eli Lilly for Up to $7.8 Billion
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- Contingent Value Rights: Centessa shareholders will also receive a non-transferable contingent value right that could be worth up to $9 per share if certain regulatory milestones for its investigational drugs are met, enhancing the attractiveness and potential profitability of the deal.
- Market Potential Analysis: Centessa is developing a novel class of drugs targeting daytime sleepiness and other neurological conditions, with its leading experimental drug, cleminorexton, showing best-in-class potential in Phase 2 clinical studies, which could position it well in a $20 billion market for severe sleep disorder treatments.
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- Clinical Trial Risks: Despite the new indication, Imcivree failed to meet its primary endpoint in a phase 3 trial for obesity treatment in patients with certain genetic conditions, increasing uncertainty around future approvals and potentially impacting the company's market outlook.
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- Signs of Market Recovery: The rise in health care stocks reflects optimistic expectations for economic recovery, particularly post-pandemic, as demand for health services continues to grow, potentially boosting the performance of related companies.
- Increased Investor Attention: With the improved performance of the health care sector, investors may reassess their portfolios and increase allocations to health stocks, thereby driving further growth and stability in the industry.
- Optimistic Industry Outlook: The strong performance in the health sector could attract more capital inflows, especially in the fields of innovative drugs and medical technologies, which are expected to provide momentum for future growth.
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- Eli Lilly Acquisition: Eli Lilly announced its acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals for up to $7.8 billion, focusing on new treatments for excessive daytime sleepiness, with peak sales for its key asset cleminorexton projected to exceed $3 billion, further solidifying Lilly's position in neuroscience.
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Centessa Pharmaceuticals Acquired by Eli Lilly for Up to $7.8 Billion
- Acquisition Overview: Centessa Pharmaceuticals has entered into an acquisition agreement with Eli Lilly for up to $7.8 billion, with a cash purchase price of $38 per share representing a nearly 38% premium over Monday's closing price, indicating strong market confidence in its potential.
- Drug Development Prospects: Centessa is developing a novel class of drugs, specifically orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists targeting daytime sleepiness and other neurological conditions, with its most promising drug, cleminorexton, showing best-in-class potential in Phase 2 clinical trials, positioning it as a market leader.
- Market Potential Analysis: According to Oppenheimer, Centessa's experimental therapies could capture a significant share of the $20 billion market for severe sleep disorder treatments, further enhancing Eli Lilly's strategic diversification of its development pipeline.
- Regulatory and Shareholder Approval: The transaction is projected to close in the third quarter, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, and upon completion, Centessa's shareholders will receive a non-transferrable contingent value right valued at up to $9 per share.
See More
Centessa Pharmaceuticals Acquired by Eli Lilly for Up to $7.8 Billion
- Acquisition Overview: Eli Lilly is acquiring Centessa Pharmaceuticals for up to $7.8 billion, offering $38 per share in cash, which represents a nearly 38% premium over Centessa's closing price on Monday, providing substantial returns for its investors.
- Contingent Value Rights: Centessa shareholders will also receive a non-transferable contingent value right that could be worth up to $9 per share if certain regulatory milestones for its investigational drugs are met, enhancing the attractiveness and potential profitability of the deal.
- Market Potential Analysis: Centessa is developing a novel class of drugs targeting daytime sleepiness and other neurological conditions, with its leading experimental drug, cleminorexton, showing best-in-class potential in Phase 2 clinical studies, which could position it well in a $20 billion market for severe sleep disorder treatments.
- Strategic Investment Intent: Eli Lilly is leveraging the profits from its successful GLP-1 drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, to diversify its development pipeline, with Centessa's experimental therapies poised to become blockbuster sellers, further solidifying Lilly's leadership in the neuroscience sector.
See More
Alkermes Shares Surge 15% Following Lilly-Centessa Deal
- Clinical Trial Progress: Alkermes' alixorexton demonstrated statistically significant improvements in wakefulness during mid-stage studies compared to placebo, indicating its potential in treating narcolepsy and attracting interest from large pharma companies.
- Positive Market Reaction: Following Eli Lilly's acquisition of Centessa, Alkermes shares surged 15%, reflecting market optimism regarding its prospects in the sleep disorder space, particularly with its developing orexin 2 receptor drug.
- Analyst Outlook: RBC Capital highlighted that the Lilly-Centessa deal underscores large pharma interest in the sleep sector, assigning Alkermes an 'Outperform' rating with a $45 price target, suggesting the stock is undervalued based on its orexin program alone.
- Retail Investor Sentiment Shift: On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around Alkermes stock shifted from 'neutral' to 'bullish' in the past 24 hours, with message volume increasing from 'low' to 'normal' levels, indicating rising interest in the stock.
See More
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- Market Expansion Opportunity: Rhythm Pharmaceuticals' Imcivree, approved in 2020 for chronic obesity treatment due to specific protein deficiencies, achieved $189.8 million in sales for 2025, reflecting a nearly 46% year-over-year growth, indicating strong market demand and growth potential.
- FDA New Approval: On March 19, 2023, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA granted approval for Imcivree for patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity, potentially adding 10,000 patients and expanding the target market from 7,500 to 17,500, significantly enhancing market coverage.
- Clinical Trial Risks: Despite the new indication, Imcivree failed to meet its primary endpoint in a phase 3 trial for obesity treatment in patients with certain genetic conditions, increasing uncertainty around future approvals and potentially impacting the company's market outlook.
- Profitability Challenges: Rhythm Pharmaceuticals faces ongoing profitability risks and intense competition in a small market; while there are other pipeline candidates, the overall profit outlook remains unclear, necessitating cautious risk assessment by investors.
See More
Health Care Stocks Rise 2% Boosting Market
- Strong Performance in Health Care: Late Tuesday afternoon, the NYSE Health Care Index rose by 2%, indicating a rebound in investor confidence towards the health sector, likely driven by an overall improvement in market sentiment.
- Signs of Market Recovery: The rise in health care stocks reflects optimistic expectations for economic recovery, particularly post-pandemic, as demand for health services continues to grow, potentially boosting the performance of related companies.
- Increased Investor Attention: With the improved performance of the health care sector, investors may reassess their portfolios and increase allocations to health stocks, thereby driving further growth and stability in the industry.
- Optimistic Industry Outlook: The strong performance in the health sector could attract more capital inflows, especially in the fields of innovative drugs and medical technologies, which are expected to provide momentum for future growth.
See More
Market Rallies on Signs of Iran Conflict De-escalation
- Market Rally: The S&P 500 surged over 2% on Tuesday amid signs of potential de-escalation in the Iran conflict, reflecting investor optimism, although caution is still warranted regarding this signal.
- Eli Lilly Acquisition: Eli Lilly announced its acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals for up to $7.8 billion, focusing on new treatments for excessive daytime sleepiness, with peak sales for its key asset cleminorexton projected to exceed $3 billion, further solidifying Lilly's position in neuroscience.
- Novo Nordisk Competition: Novo Nordisk launched a subscription program to lower prices on Wegovy, aiming to reclaim market share from Eli Lilly, which leads in the GLP-1 category, highlighting the need for continuous innovation to maintain competitive advantage.
- Analyst Ratings: Truist initiated coverage of Corning with a hold rating and a $125 price target, expressing optimism about its optical business growth while raising concerns over current valuations, indicating a cautious market outlook on Corning's future growth potential.
See More
