LLY vs. PFE: Eli Lilly vs. Pfizer Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE) 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

Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE) are both classified in the Pharmaceuticals sub-industry within the broader Pharmaceuticals industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Profile Item	LLY	PFE
Name	Eli Lilly and Company	Pfizer Inc.
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	Pharmaceuticals	Pharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-Industry	Pharmaceuticals	Pharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization	1,206.07 billion USD	167.52 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 1, 1972	June 1, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LLY

PFE

GSPC

Eli Lilly (LLY) vs. Pfizer (PFE), 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 Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	LLY	PFE
Total Return (1Y)	52.36%	28.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	34.18%	6.41%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	41.08%	-3.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LLY

PFE

GSPC

Eli Lilly (LLY) vs. Pfizer (PFE), 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 Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	LLY	PFE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	35.34%	21.72%
Beta (5Y)	0.40	0.35
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-34.48%	-58.96%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.52M	33.67M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LLY and PFE 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 Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	LLY	PFE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.36	1.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.29	1.73

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 86.02% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Pfizer (PFE) at 4.47% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for LLY.

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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.47%

Max: 109.18%
Q3: 6.23%
PFE: 4.47%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 31.90% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Pfizer (PFE) at 6.34% also retains a top-quartile share.

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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.34%

Max: 18.05%
PFE: 6.34%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Eli Lilly (LLY) at 53.66% and Pfizer (PFE) at 33.38% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

33.38%

Max: 83.12%
PFE: 33.38%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	LLY	PFE
ROE (TTM)	86.02%	4.47%
ROA (TTM)	21.06%	5.59%
Net Margin (TTM)	31.90%	6.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)	53.66%	33.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)	83.63%	74.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 44.70% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Pfizer (PFE) at -1.65% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Eli Lilly (LLY) vs. Pfizer (PFE): 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 Pfizer (PFE) at -3.55% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for LLY.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	LLY	PFE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	44.70%	-1.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	31.69%	-14.80%
EPS Growth (YoY)	95.99%	-3.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	51.71%	-37.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Eli Lilly (LLY) at 1.39 and Pfizer (PFE) at 1.42 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.42

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
PFE: 1.42
Min: 0.10

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Eli Lilly (LLY) at 1.23 and Pfizer (PFE) at 0.71 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.71

Max: 1.42
PFE: 0.71
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	LLY	PFE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.39	1.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.23	0.71
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.96	1.97

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Eli Lilly (LLY) at 0.49% and Pfizer (PFE) at 7.30% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

7.30%

PFE: 7.30%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) reports payout ratio above 100% at 245.71%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Eli Lilly (LLY) reports 21.71%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

245.71%

PFE: 245.71%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	LLY	PFE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.49%	7.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	21.71%	245.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 41.99 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.

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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

41.99

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
PFE: 41.99
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 2.63 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 13.95 prices around its industry’s middle — PFE costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.63

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
PFE: 2.63
Min: 0.01

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Pfizer (PFE) at 1.88 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 29.96 prices above its benchmark range — LLY looks rich relative to book.

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

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.88

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
PFE: 1.88
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	LLY	PFE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	43.95	41.99
P/S Ratio (TTM)	13.95	2.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	29.96	1.88
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.77%	7.76%