Business
Eli Lilly hits $1 trillion market value, a first for a health-care company
A sign with the company logo sits outside of the headquarters of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 17, 2024.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
Eli Lilly reached a $1 trillion market capitalization on Friday, the first health-care company in the world to join the exclusive club dominated by tech firms.
Eli Lilly briefly hit the $1 trillion mark in morning trading before retreating. It was last trading around $1,048 a share. Eli Lilly is the second nontechnology company to reach the coveted $1 trillion mark in the U.S. after Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway.
The drugmaker’s stock has climbed more than 36% this year as investors applaud the gains it has made over chief rival Novo Nordisk in the GLP-1 drug space. The Indianapolis-based company’s stock has been riding the skyrocketing popularity of its weight loss injection Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro.
Eli Lilly’s stock has soared on the back of the success of its drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound.Demand is only expected to grow as approvals for the treatments’ uses and insurance coverage expand.
The two drugs have driven eye-popping sales growth for Eli Lilly. Last month, the company said Mounjaro drew in $6.52 billion in revenue in the third quarter, a 109% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, Zepbound posted $3.59 billion in sales during the period, a 184% spike from the prior-year period.
Demand for the treatments will only grow as approvals for their use and insurance coverage expand. In addition, Eli Lilly expects an oral version of its popular drugs to hit the market next year, which could give patients a more convenient option than a shot that is easier for the company to produce.
Eli Lilly will likely remain a dominant player in the weight loss drug market, which some analysts believe could be worth more than $150 billion by the early 2030s.
But despite its recent struggles and leadership shake-ups, Novo Nordisk remains a formidable rival for Eli Lilly in the space. Pfizer also made a push forward in the market, as well, when it won a $10 billion bidding war with Novo Nordisk for obesity drugmaker Metsera earlier this month.
The runaway success of Zepbound, Mounjaro
Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical chemist and Union veteran of the U.S. Civil War, founded his namesake company in 1876. It has long been at the forefront of the diabetes treatment space, introducing the world’s first commercial insulin in 1923.
Eli Lilly became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange by 1952, and for decades relied on a slate of widely successful products to drive much of its profits and revenue. That included insulins, the antidepressant pill Prozac and the earliest polio vaccine.
An Eli Lilly & Co. Zepbound injection pen, March 28, 2024.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Eli Lilly hit the jackpot with the May 2022 approval of tirzepatide for diabetes, which is sold as Mounjaro. It started to compete with Novo Nordisk’s diabetes injection Ozempic, which had entered the market a few years earlier.
But Eli Lilly brought a new way to treat diabetes and eventually, obesity. Tirzepatide works by imitating two hormones produced in the gut called GLP-1 and GIP. GLP-1 helps reduce food intake and appetite. GIP, which also suppresses appetite, may also improve how the body breaks down sugar and fat.
Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and its weight loss drug Wegovy, only targets GLP-1.
Mounjaro achieved “blockbuster” status — meaning it generated more than $1 billion in annual sales — during its first full year on the market. Eli Lilly then won approval in late 2023 for tirzepatide as a treatment for obesity, which is sold as Zepbound and now competes with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.
By 2024, Mounjaro pulled in $11.54 billion in sales, while Zepbound posted $4.93 billion in revenue.
Business
Ajit Jain: Warren Buffett’s trusted executive Ajit Jain buys apartment in Gurugram for Rs 85 crore – The Times of India
A 7,400 sq ft apartment at DLF The Camellias in Gurugram has been purchased by Berkshire Hathaway’s Ajit Jain. The vice-chairman overseeing insurance operations at Berkshire Hathaway, Ajit Jain, is regarded as one of Warren Buffett’s most trusted associates. The apartment has been bought for around Rs 85 crore, according to sources quoted in an ET report.Jain, who has spent most of his time living abroad, recently visited Delhi to complete the deal, the sources said. One person aware of the development said non-resident Indians account for more than 25% of DLF’s ultra-luxury housing portfolio, and Jain is among the most prominent buyers in this segment. The individual added that premium amenities offered at such developments are a major attraction for those who plan to spend only part of the year in India. Jain is widely considered one of the most influential Indian-origin business leaders in the United States.Property consultants noted that since the Covid period, ultra-high-net-worth individuals have increasingly favoured secure, gated condominium projects over independent bungalows, as such residences provide access to a wide range of on-site facilities.ET recently reported that an industrialist purchased four apartments at DLF’s new ultra-luxury project, The Dahlias, for close to Rs 380 crore, making it one of the country’s most expensive apartment transactions.In 2025, Gurugram saw the costliest property deal in the National Capital Region, overtaking Lutyens’ Delhi for the first time. Prices per square foot in the city have surpassed those in Mumbai and reached levels comparable with London and Dubai. Earlier, British entrepreneur Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia had acquired an 11,416 sq ft apartment in the same project for Rs 100 crore.Info-x Software Technology, through its director Rishi Parti, had also purchased a 16,000 sq ft penthouse for Rs 190 crore.In October 2023, ET reported the first Rs 100-crore transaction at the same residential complex on Gurugram’s Golf Course Road.
Business
US stock market today: Wall Street opens higher as investors await Nvidia earnings – The Times of India
US Wall Street’s main indices opened higher on Wednesday, recovering after recent volatility as investors weighed concerns surrounding the AI trade and uncertainty over tariffs ahead of Nvidia’s earnings later in the day (local time).The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 183.1 points, or 0.37%, to 49,357.63 at the open. The S&P 500 gained 25.1 points, or 0.36%, to 6,915.15, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 141.3 points, or 0.62%, to 23,005.008.Nvidia remains at the centre of the AI-driven market narrative, with its chips playing a pivotal role in the ongoing surge in artificial intelligence investments. The company has become one of the most influential stocks on Wall Street.Analysts are projecting another strong earnings performance, with Nvidia’s profit expected to jump nearly 70 per cent year-on-year to $37.52 billion. Such a result would translate into daily earnings exceeding $400 million during the three months through January 25.Nvidia’s earnings reports have increasingly served as a barometer for broader market trends, given the company’s size and AI’s outsized influence on equities. In recent years, enthusiasm around AI helped propel markets to repeated record highs, driven by expectations of productivity gains and improved corporate profitability.However, investor concerns have intensified over the sustainability of heavy AI-related spending. Market participants are closely watching whether major technology companies such as Alphabet and Amazon can generate sufficient returns on their substantial investments in AI infrastructure and chips. Any slowdown in capital expenditure could directly impact Nvidia.Investors have also begun reassessing sectors perceived as vulnerable to AI-led disruption, triggering sharp sell-offs across industries ranging from software to logistics and legal services.“While those concerns are real, we believe investors would be wise to balance them out with offsetting trends that may be underappreciated in the current wall of worry headline cycle,” said Darrell Cronk, Chief Investment Officer for Wealth & Investment Management at Wells Fargo.One such offsetting trend has been the steady growth in corporate earnings reported by large US companies, which has supported segments of the market previously overshadowed by AI-focused stocks, particularly smaller firms.Shares of Cava Group surged 18.6 per cent after the Mediterranean restaurant chain posted stronger-than-expected profit and revenue. The company also reported annual revenue exceeding $1 billion for the first time, marking a 22.5 per cent increase from a year earlier.Similarly, Axon Enterprise jumped 16.5 per cent following better-than-expected earnings, aided by demand for its Tasers, body cameras, and AI-powered solutions.The gains helped counterbalance weakness in First Solar, whose shares fell 14.2 per cent after reporting profit below market expectations.
Business
Lowe’s earnings beat as sales jump more than 10% despite sluggish housing market
A Lowe’s store in Concord, California, US, on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Lowe’s topped Wall Street’s quarterly revenue and earnings expectations on Wednesday, as the retailer’s sales grew more than 10% year over year.
The home improvement company said it expects total sales for the full current fiscal year to range between $92 billion and $94 billion, which would be a roughly 7% to 9% increase over the prior year. It said it projects adjusted earnings per share to be between $12.25 and $12.75 for the full year. Lowe’s said it expects comparable sales, a metric that takes out one-time factors, to be approximately flat to up 2%.
In a news release, CEO Marvin Ellison said the company’s strategy is resonating with its do-it-yourself customers and home professionals, even as higher mortgage rates and slower real estate sales challenge its industry.
“While the housing macro remains pressured, we are focused on directing what is within our control, which includes our ongoing productivity initiatives,” he said. “We remain confident that we are well-positioned to take share regardless of the macro environment.”
Shares of Lowe’s fell in premarket trading as the company’s earnings per share projections for the year fell short of analysts’ consensus expectations of $12.95, according to LSEG.
Here’s what Lowe’s reported for the fiscal fourth quarter compared with Wall Street’s estimates, according to a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $1.98 adjusted vs. $1.94 expected
- Revenue: $20.58 billion vs. $20.34 billion expected
Lowe’s net income for the three-month period that ended Jan. 30 dropped to $999 million, or $1.78 per share, from $1.13 billion, or $1.99 per share, in the year-ago quarter. Excluding one-time factors, including expenses associated with recent acquisitions, Lowe’s reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.98.
Revenue rose from $18.55 billion in the year-ago period.
Comparable sales for the quarter climbed 1.3%, higher than the 0.2% that analysts were expecting, according to StreetAccount. The company said in a news release that growth was driven by its gains with home professionals, online sales and home services, along with a strong holiday season.
Its competitor, Home Depot, on Tuesday beat Wall Street’s earnings and revenue expectations, but stuck by conservative full-year guidance. Its quarterly results reflected that home improvement demand remains tepid, as U.S. consumers continue to put off big projects because of high borrowing costs and housing prices as well as economic concerns.
Like Home Depot, Lowe’s has felt pinched by a tougher backdrop for the industry. Both have acquired companies that cater to contractors and other professionals, which tend to be a steadier source of business.
Last year, Lowe’s acquired Foundation Building Materials, a distributor of drywall, insulation and other interior building products for large residential and commercial professionals, for about $8.8 billion. It also bought Artisan Design Group, which provides design services and installation of flooring, cabinets and countertops for homebuilders and property managers, for about $1.33 billion.
Lowe’s has also made its own moves to reach customers who are delaying home purchases, such as launching a third-party marketplace to expand its mix of merchandise, tapping influencers to raise its visibility on social media and reaching out to young families by relaunching its kids’ program.
As of Tuesday’s close, Lowe’s shares are up nearly 16% year to date, surpassing the S&P 500’s roughly 1% gains during the same period. Its stock has risen about 15% over the past year, almost matching the S&P 500’s approximately 16% gains over that time.
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