Eli Lilly (LLY) vs Novartis (NVS)
Head-to-head comparison of performance, valuation, growth, profitability and dividends. Prices delayed 15 minutes; data as of Oct 7, 2026.
Summary
Eli Lilly (LLY) has outperformed Novartis (NVS) over the past year, gaining 41.8% versus a gain of 9.0%. Over five years, LLY leads with a +402.8% price change compared with +72.1% for NVS. Eli Lilly is the larger company by market cap ($1.06 trillion vs $272.29 billion), about 3.9 times the size.
On valuation, Novartis trades at a lower forward P/E (14.6x vs 25.0x for Eli Lilly). Novartis offers the higher dividend yield (3.26% vs 0.54%).
Summary generated from market data by MetaCap's automated system. Methodology
Relative performance
Percent change in share price from the first common trading day shown; excludes dividends.
Head-to-head
| Metric | LLY | NVS |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $1,188.29 | $143.26 |
| Market cap | $1.06T | $272.29B |
| 1-day change | +2.66% | +1.75% |
| YTD return | +11.30% | +4.01% |
| 1-year return | +41.78% | +9.01% |
| 5-year return | +402.83% | +72.09% |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | 39.89 | 21.64 |
| Forward P/E | 24.97 | 14.63 |
| EPS (TTM) | $29.79 | $6.62 |
| Dividend yield | 0.54% | 3.26% |
| Annual dividend | $6.46 | $4.67 |
| Revenue (latest FY) | $65.18B | — |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +44.70% | — |
| Net income (latest FY) | $20.64B | $13.98B |
| Gross margin | 83.04% | — |
| Net margin | 31.67% | — |
| 52-week high | $1,292.65 | $170.46 |
| 52-week low | $783.85 | $121.57 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -8.07% | -15.96% |
| Analyst consensus | buy | hold |
| Avg. price target upside | +11.86% | +8.21% |
| Average volume | 2.48M | 1.96M |
| Shares outstanding | 891.74M | 1.90B |
| Employees | 50,000 | 75,267 |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Drug Manufacturers - General | Drug Manufacturers - General |
Highlighted cells mark the higher value for growth, returns, margins and yield, and the lower value for P/E ratios. Highlighting is a mechanical comparison, not a recommendation.
Key differences
- Eli Lilly is about 3.9 times larger than Novartis by market value ($1.06T vs $272.29B).
- LLY has outperformed NVS by 32.8 percentage points over the past year.
- Eli Lilly trades at a higher earnings multiple (39.9x vs 21.6x trailing P/E).
- Novartis offers a meaningfully higher dividend yield (3.26% vs 0.54%).
About Eli Lilly
LLY stock →Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets human pharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and internationally. The company offers cardiometabolic health products, including Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.
Healthcare · Drug Manufacturers - General · 50,000 employees
About Novartis
NVS stock →Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, distributes, markets, and sells pharmaceutical medicines in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers Entresto, an angiotensin receptorneprilysin inhibitor to treat symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); Cosentyx to treat plaque psoriasis, pso riatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and nonradiographic axial spondy loarthritis; Kisqali, a selective oral cyclin dependent inhibitor of kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6); Promacta/Revolade to treat immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), thrombocytopenia, and patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA); Tafinlar+Mekinist, an oral combination therapy to treat patients with certain types of cancers; and Jakavi for the treatment of myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, and acute or chronic graftversushost disease (GvHD).
Healthcare · Drug Manufacturers - General · 75,267 employees
LLY vs NVS FAQ
Which is bigger, Eli Lilly or Novartis?
Eli Lilly (LLY) is larger, with a market capitalization of $1.06T compared with $272.29B for Novartis (NVS).
Which stock has performed better over the past year, LLY or NVS?
LLY returned +41.78% over the past 12 months, compared with +9.01% for NVS (price return, excluding dividends). Past performance does not predict future results.
Which has the lower P/E ratio, LLY or NVS?
NVS has the lower trailing P/E at 21.6, versus 39.9 for LLY. A lower P/E is not by itself a sign of a better investment; it can reflect slower expected growth or higher risk.
Which pays a higher dividend, Eli Lilly or Novartis?
Novartis has the higher yield at 3.26%, compared with 0.54% for Eli Lilly.
Are Eli Lilly and Novartis in the same industry?
Yes. Both are classified in the Drug Manufacturers - General industry within the Healthcare sector.