Eli Lilly Shares Surge Over 9% After Strong Earnings Report

As the chart of Eli Lilly's (LLY) share price shows today, yesterday's trading closed at a level more than 9% higher than Wednesday's closing price. The main driver of this growth was a strong Q2 report:

→ Earnings per share: actual = $3.92, expected = $2.74;
→ Gross sales: actual = $11.3 billion, expected = $9.99 billion.

Market participants reacted positively not only to the fact that the American pharmaceutical company's actual results significantly exceeded forecasts but also to Eli Lilly's rising expectations for the second half of the year, driven by demand for its diabetes treatment Mounjaro and weight loss drug Zepbound.

Technical analysis of the Eli Lilly (LLY) stock chart shows that:
→ The price action is forming an upward channel in 2024 (shown in blue);
→ After a rebound, the median line of this channel was breached (as indicated by the arrow);
→ As could be expected, this line acted as resistance – as indicated by the high of yesterday's candlestick.

What is the forecast for Eli Lilly (LLY) shares?

Wall Street analysts surveyed by TipRanks remain positive – none of them recommend selling shares of the company, which has the largest market cap in the healthcare sector at over $800 billion. On average, they forecast that LLY shares will reach $955 within 12 months.

This suggests that the current upward channel may remain relevant. However, it’s possible that:
→ The lower boundary will continue to act as support;
→ The boundaries of the bullish gap formed at yesterday's opening may also provide support. A similar action can be seen on the chart – after a wide bullish gap (also formed following a strong report) on 30 April, LLY shares found support near the lower boundary of that gap around $740.

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