ELI LILLY & Co vs VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC / MA, two Drug Manufacturers stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Neither page prints growth, but the market's pricing splits it plainly: Lilly at 42.9 times earnings for the obesity-and-diabetes franchise still compounding, Vertex at 29.2 for a cystic-fibrosis monopoly the market treats as mature. The income statements sit closer than the multiples, net margins of 35% and 35.5%, essentially tied. Lilly's 81% return on equity carries 1.39 turns of leverage; Vertex's 22.4% carries none, and on assets they read 21.7% against 16.4%. Vertex converts more of its price into free cash, 3% against 1.9%; Lilly pays the small dividend. Fourteen turns of multiple separate compounding from cruising, on bottom lines the same width; duration of growth is the whole purchase.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | LLY | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1206.57 | $491.10 |
| Market cap | $1.08T | $125.9B |
| Sector | Drug Manufacturers | Drug Manufacturers |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +29.9% | +19.8% |
| P/E | 42.9 | 29.1 |
| P/B | 34.65 | 6.50 |
| P/S | 14.96 | 10.30 |
| EV/EBITDA | 2198.5 | 24.6 |
| Revenue growth | +47.4% | +10.1% |
| Operating margin | — | 38.1% |
| Net margin | 35.0% | 35.5% |
| Return on equity | 81.0% | 22.4% |
| Return on assets | 21.7% | 16.4% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 19.9% |
| FCF yield | 1.9% | 3.0% |
| Dividend yield | 0.5% | — |
| Debt / equity | 1.39 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.50 | 3.02 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.16 | 7.73 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.