EXEL vs. LLY: Exelixis vs. Eli Lilly Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Exelixis (EXEL) 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

Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but EXEL is classified in Biotechnology while LLY is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

Company profile comparison for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Profile Item	EXEL	LLY
Name	Exelixis Inc.	Eli Lilly and Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Biotechnology	Pharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-Industry	Biotechnology	Pharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization	16.98 billion USD	1,206.07 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	April 17, 2000	June 1, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

EXEL

LLY

GSPC

Exelixis (EXEL) 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 Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Metric	EXEL	LLY
Total Return (1Y)	74.98%	52.36%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	50.33%	34.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	31.10%	41.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

EXEL

LLY

GSPC

Exelixis (EXEL) 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 Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Metric	EXEL	LLY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.17%	35.34%
Beta (5Y)	0.41	0.40
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-35.41%	-34.48%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.33M	2.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

EXEL and LLY are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Metric	EXEL	LLY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	2.07	1.36
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	3.23	2.29

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Exelixis (EXEL) at 44.32% 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.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

44.32%

Max: 109.18%
EXEL: 44.32%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

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%

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Exelixis (EXEL) at 35.45% and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 31.90% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

35.45%

EXEL: 35.45%
Max: 18.05%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

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%

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Exelixis (EXEL) at 40.75% and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 53.66% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

40.75%

Max: 83.12%
EXEL: 40.75%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

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%

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Metric	EXEL	LLY
ROE (TTM)	44.32%	86.02%
ROA (TTM)	23.52%	21.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	35.45%	31.90%
Operating Margin (TTM)	40.75%	53.66%
Gross Margin (TTM)	96.26%	83.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Exelixis (EXEL) at 6.98% 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.

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 95.99% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Exelixis (EXEL) at 57.95% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for LLY.

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Metric	EXEL	LLY
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.98%	44.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	12.93%	31.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)	57.95%	95.99%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	70.59%	51.71%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Exelixis (EXEL) at 3.21 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.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.21

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
EXEL: 3.21
Q1: 2.47
Min: 0.10

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

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Exelixis (EXEL) at 0.09 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 1.23 uses more debt funding than most peers.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.09

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
EXEL: 0.09
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

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

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Metric	EXEL	LLY
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.21	1.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.09	1.23
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.71	0.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Exelixis (EXEL) 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 0.49%, ranking against industry peers normally.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

EXEL: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
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%

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Exelixis (EXEL) 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 21.71%, ranking against industry peers normally.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

EXEL: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
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%

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Metric	EXEL	LLY
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.49%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	21.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Exelixis (EXEL) at 20.83 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 43.95 sits in the richer quartile — LLY needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

20.83

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
EXEL: 20.83
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

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

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Exelixis (EXEL) at 6.80 and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 13.95 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.80

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
EXEL: 6.80
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

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

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Exelixis (EXEL) at 9.28 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 29.96 prices even higher, above its industry range.

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

9.28

Max: 13.53
EXEL: 9.28
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

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

Exelixis (EXEL) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Exelixis (EXEL) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
Metric	EXEL	LLY
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.83	43.95
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.80	13.95
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	9.28	29.96
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.47%	0.77%