Pharmaceuticals and chemicals · 21/36 against 21/36 checks · to 2026-09-08
ABBV vs LLY.
AbbVieMakes Humira, Skyrizi and Rinvoq for immune diseases, plus Botox and cancer drugs.
Eli LillyMakes drugs for diabetes, obesity and cancer, led by the GLP-1 medicines Mounjaro and Zepbound.→AbbVie (ABBV) and Eli Lilly (LLY) are within reach of each other at $439.6B and $1.06T, and they pass the same number of checks, 21 of 36.
Which passes more checks?
widest gap first→The two are furthest apart on Growth, where Eli Lilly passes 3 more of the six.
| ABBV | LLY | |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | 3/6 | 6/6 |
| Shareholder returns | 6/6 | 4/6 |
| Trend analysis | 3/6 | 1/6 |
| Quality | 5/6 | 6/6 |
| Value | 1/6 | 1/6 |
| Health | 3/6 | 3/6 |
| All checks | 21/36 | 21/36 |
→Eli Lilly turns over $79.7B to AbbVie's $64.4B, 1.2 times as much. AbbVie keeps 9.8% of revenue as profit against 33.5% at Eli Lilly.
Which is growing faster, ABBV or LLY?
→Eli Lilly grew revenue faster last year, +49.6% against +10.4% at AbbVie - 39 points apart. Over three years the order is reversed: Eli Lilly compounds at +31.7% against +1.8%.
| ABBV | LLY | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue (TTM) | $64.4B | $79.7B |
| Revenue growth, 1 year | +10.4% | +49.6% |
| Revenue CAGR, 3 years | +1.8% | +31.7% |
| Net income (TTM) | $6.3B | $26.7B |
| Free cash flow (TTM) | $18.2B | - |
Which hands more back to owners?
→Both pay: AbbVie yields the more at 2.7% against 0.5%. A yield rises when a price falls, so read it beside the payout checks in each report.
| ABBV | LLY | |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend yield | 2.7% | 0.5% |
| Payout ratio | 184.7% | 20.2% |
| Years of unbroken dividend | - | - |
Which keeps more of each sale?
→Eli Lilly keeps more of each sale: gross margin of 83.4% against 71.5%, a gap of 12 points that flows into everything below it.
| ABBV | LLY | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 71.5% | 83.4% |
| Operating margin | 26.2% | - |
| Return on equity | - | 78.8% |
Which is cheaper?
→Eli Lilly is the cheaper of the two on earnings, 37.8x against 69.9x. Against their own histories, AbbVie is above its 18.8x median and Eli Lilly is above its 35.0x.
| ABBV | LLY | |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $248.78 | $1123.91 |
| Market cap | $439.6B | $1.06T |
| P/E | 69.9x | 37.8x |
| P/E, own median own 11-year median / own 10-year median | 18.8x | 35.0x |
| P/S | 6.8x | 13.3x |
| Free cash flow yield | 4.1% | - |
Which balance sheet is stronger?
| ABBV | LLY | |
|---|---|---|
| Debt / equity | - | 1.62x |
| Interest coverage | 5.8x | - |
| Cash and short-term investments | $6.6B | $9.1B |
Where they differ most
the checks behind the gapGrowth: Eli Lilly 3 ahead
- Outgrew its sector last year 49.6% vs 13.6% (sector 70th pct, n=254)
- Sustained growth beats its sector (3 years) 31.7% vs 14.9% (sector 70th pct, n=247)
- Profits grew last year 93.6% vs 0.0%
- Outgrew its sector last year 10.4% vs 13.6% (sector 70th pct, n=254)
- Sustained growth beats its sector (3 years) 1.8% vs 14.9% (sector 70th pct, n=247)
- Profit growth beats its peers -29.0% vs 7.9% (sector 70th pct, n=96)
Shareholder returns: AbbVie 2 ahead
- Share count isn't climbing shares down 0.3% over 3 years
- Buybacks outpace the stock issued to staff $1.5B bought back vs $976M of stock compensation
- What it hands back fits inside its cash flow 74.0% vs 100.0%
- Meaningful yield to owners (dividends and buybacks) $12.0B returned, 1.1% of market value