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BRK.A vs. LLY: Berkshire Hathaway vs. Eli Lilly Stock Comparison

How do Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) is classified in the Financials sector (Financial Services), whereas Eli Lilly (LLY) belongs to Health Care (Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Profile ItemBRK.ALLY
NameBerkshire Hathaway Inc.Eli Lilly and Company
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryFinancial ServicesPharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-IndustryMulti-Sector HoldingsPharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization1,056.00 billion USD982.77 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRK.A
LLY
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricBRK.ALLY
Total Return (1Y)0.60%45.51%

Risk

Drawdown

BRK.A
LLY
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Eli Lilly (LLY) trades around 3.17M shares per day on average, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) sees only 198 — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricBRK.ALLY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)13.98%37.97%
Beta (5Y)0.610.52
Avg. Volume (3M)1983.17M

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 107.46% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 10.50%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

10.50%

Max
42.17%
Q3
21.57%
Median
12.32%
BRK.A
10.50%
Q1
5.04%
Min
-17.69%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

107.46%

LLY
107.46%
Max
94.73%
Q3
2.87%
Median
-31.21%
Q1
-61.22%
Min
-157.07%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 34.99% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 19.31% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

19.31%

Max
66.55%
Q3
30.45%
BRK.A
19.31%
Median
16.66%
Q1
4.52%
Min
-26.88%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

34.99%

LLY
34.99%
Max
12.76%
Q3
3.90%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-2.01%
Min
-9.05%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 49.39% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 14.35%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

14.35%

Max
95.95%
Q3
48.40%
Median
26.61%
BRK.A
14.35%
Q1
12.07%
Min
-36.26%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

49.39%

Max
100.30%
LLY
49.39%
Q3
5.21%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-122.23%
Min
-309.54%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricBRK.ALLY
ROE (TTM)10.50%107.46%
ROA (TTM)5.39%20.74%
Net Margin (TTM)19.31%34.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.35%49.39%
Gross Margin (TTM)--82.83%

Growth

Revenue Growth

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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricBRK.ALLY
Revenue Growth (YoY)-3.23%44.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)20.59%31.69%

EPS Growth

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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricBRK.ALLY
EPS Growth (YoY)-24.78%95.99%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--51.71%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Eli Lilly (LLY) shows current ratio of 1.50; Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) doesn’t get one — Financial Services balance sheets aren’t split into current and non-current buckets, so short-term liquidity there is judged through regulatory measures instead.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

--

BRK.A
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.50

Max
24.76
Q3
11.89
Median
5.63
Q1
2.69
LLY
1.50
Min
0.23
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): BRK.A’s current ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for LLY only.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Eli Lilly (LLY) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39; for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) the ratio is set aside — in Financial Services, balance-sheet leverage is part of the business model itself, so capital-adequacy measures do the job this ratio does elsewhere.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

--

BRK.A
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.39

Max
1.60
LLY
1.39
Q3
0.68
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): BRK.A’s debt-to-equity ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for LLY only.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricBRK.ALLY
Current Ratio (MRQ)--1.50
Debt / Equity (MRQ)--1.39
Net Debt / EBITDA--1.05

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Eli Lilly (LLY) reports a yield of 0.57%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
9.57%
Q3
3.98%
BRK.A
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.57%

LLY
0.57%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Eli Lilly (LLY) reports a payout of 22.13%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
248.04%
Q3
99.70%
Median
25.37%
BRK.A
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

22.13%

LLY
22.13%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricBRK.ALLY
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.57%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%22.13%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 14.58 and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 39.22 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

14.58

Max
45.29
Q3
25.35
BRK.A
14.58
Median
14.55
Q1
9.01
Min
0.62

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

39.22

Max
79.44
Q3
45.64
LLY
39.22
Median
24.21
Q1
14.95
Min
1.85
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 2.81 and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 13.60 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

2.81

Max
10.00
Q3
4.88
Median
2.89
BRK.A
2.81
Q1
1.44
Min
-1.20

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

13.60

Max
54.89
Q3
25.22
LLY
13.60
Median
7.22
Q1
3.33
Min
0.01
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 1.45 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 31.56 prices above its benchmark range — LLY looks rich relative to book.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

1.45

Max
7.19
Q3
3.53
Median
1.66
BRK.A
1.45
Q1
0.90
Min
0.00

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

31.56

LLY
31.56
Max
14.41
Q3
6.82
Median
3.67
Q1
1.70
Min
-5.92
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricBRK.ALLY
P/E Ratio (TTM)14.5839.22
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.8113.60
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.4531.56
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)--0.93%