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COST vs. LLY: Costco Wholesale vs. Eli Lilly Stock Comparison

How do Costco Wholesale (COST) 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

Costco Wholesale (COST) is classified in the Consumer Staples sector (Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail), 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 Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Profile ItemCOSTLLY
NameCostco Wholesale CorpEli Lilly and Company
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailPharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-IndustryConsumer Staples Merchandise RetailPharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization466.86 billion USD1,206.07 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJuly 9, 1986June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

COST
LLY
GSPC
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCOSTLLY
Total Return (1Y)14.87%52.36%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.84%34.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.92%41.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

COST
LLY
GSPC
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCOSTLLY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.30%35.34%
Beta (5Y)0.840.40
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.40%-34.48%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.15M2.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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COST and LLY are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCOSTLLY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.521.36
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.772.29

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 28.40% and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 86.02% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

28.40%

Max
33.48%
COST
28.40%
Q3
22.31%
Median
15.57%
Q1
7.66%
Min
-2.27%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

86.02%

Max
109.18%
LLY
86.02%
Q3
6.23%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 31.90% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.04% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.04%

Max
5.45%
Q3
3.42%
COST
3.04%
Median
2.44%
Q1
1.86%
Min
-0.06%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

31.90%

LLY
31.90%
Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 53.66% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.79%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.79%

Max
6.81%
Q3
5.49%
Median
3.84%
COST
3.79%
Q1
2.00%
Min
0.97%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

53.66%

Max
83.12%
LLY
53.66%
Q3
14.77%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCOSTLLY
ROE (TTM)28.40%86.02%
ROA (TTM)8.66%21.06%
Net Margin (TTM)3.04%31.90%
Operating Margin (TTM)3.79%53.66%
Gross Margin (TTM)12.77%83.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 10.14% and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 44.70% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Eli Lilly (LLY) reports EPS growth of 95.99%, ranked against its industry; Costco Wholesale (COST) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCOSTLLY
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.14%44.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.76%31.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)--95.99%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--51.71%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.06 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 1.39 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for LLY.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.06

Max
2.04
Q3
1.45
Median
1.17
COST
1.06
Q1
1.00
Min
0.69

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.39

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
LLY
1.39
Min
0.10
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.28 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 1.23 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.28

Max
2.59
Q3
1.83
Median
1.24
Q1
0.63
COST
0.28
Min
0.01

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.23

Max
1.42
LLY
1.23
Q3
0.65
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCOSTLLY
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.061.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.281.23
Net Debt / EBITDA-0.780.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.52% pays an industry-typical yield; Eli Lilly (LLY) at 0.49% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.52%

Max
2.90%
Q3
1.72%
COST
0.52%
Median
0.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.49%

LLY
0.49%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 26.69% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 21.71% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

26.69%

Max
57.98%
Q3
30.05%
COST
26.69%
Median
11.72%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

21.71%

LLY
21.71%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCOSTLLY
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.52%0.49%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.69%21.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 50.75 and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 43.95 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

50.75

COST
50.75
Max
50.75
Q3
33.64
Median
22.19
Q1
16.09
Min
9.28

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

43.95

Max
85.34
LLY
43.95
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 13.95 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.54 sits in the pricier quartile — COST costs more per dollar of sales.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.54

COST
1.54
Max
1.54
Q3
0.81
Median
0.47
Q1
0.26
Min
0.02

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

13.95

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
LLY
13.95
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
Min
0.01
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 13.04 and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 29.96 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

13.04

COST
13.04
Max
10.15
Q3
6.27
Median
3.70
Q1
1.85
Min
0.93

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

29.96

LLY
29.96
Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCOSTLLY
P/E Ratio (TTM)50.7543.95
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.5413.95
P/B Ratio (MRQ)13.0429.96
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.45%0.77%