Merck & Co., Inc. vs Eli Lilly and Company
LLY wins the Tale of the Tape 5–4.
🏆 Tale of the Tape
Green = winner in each category. Higher is better except P/E (lower = cheaper).
Rolling Correlation
Moderately correlated — some diversification benefit from holding both.
Fundamentals
| Metric | MRK | LLY |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $293.2B | $985.4B |
| P/E Ratio | 33.4x | 39.2x |
| Forward P/E | 12.4x | 24.8x |
| P/B | 6.39x | 31.65x |
| Dividend Yield | 2.86% | 0.63% |
| Beta | 0.20 | 0.48 |
Quantitative Metrics
| Metric | MRK | LLY |
|---|---|---|
| DCF Fair Value | $96.93 | $296.11 |
| DCF Upside | -19.3% | -68.2% |
| Piotroski F | 4/9 | 7/9 |
| Altman Z | 4.04 | 7.84 |
| Beneish M | -2.27 | -1.91 |
| FCF Yield | 3.72% | 0.68% |
| Net Debt/EBITDA | 1.1x | 1.1x |
| ROIC | 16.3% | 30.4% |
| WACC | 7.4% | 7.8% |
| ROIC – WACC | 8.9pp | 22.5pp |
| Gross Margin | 74.8% | 83.0% |
| Net Margin | 28.1% | 31.7% |
| Rev Growth YoY | 1.3% | 44.7% |
| Sharpe (1Y) | 1.43 | 0.61 |
| Max Drawdown 3Y | — | — |
| FCF Payout Ratio | 66% | 90% |
MRK Price
LLY Price
ETF Exposure
MRK found in:
LLY found in:
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Quant metrics computed from financial statements and 1,200+ trading days. Correlation is Pearson coefficient on daily log returns. Not investment advice.
MRK vs LLY: Head-to-Head Analysis
Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) and Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) represent two companies in the Healthcare sector. In our quantitative Tale of the Tape scoring, LLY leads 5–4 across nine fundamental and risk metrics including profitability, valuation, capital efficiency, and financial health.
In terms of capital efficiency, MRK generates a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 16.3% compared to LLY's 30.4%. This suggests LLY is more effective at deploying capital to generate shareholder returns.
The 252-day rolling correlation between MRK and LLY is 0.439, indicating moderate co-movement, with some diversification value from holding both in a portfolio context.
MRK appears in 43 ETFs tracked by SecuritiesDB, while LLY appears in 34 ETFs. Investors holding broad-market ETFs may already have indirect exposure to both stocks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stock is the better investment, MRK or LLY?
Our quantitative analysis compares MRK and LLY across nine fundamental dimensions. LLY wins the Tale of the Tape 5–4. However, stock selection depends on your individual risk tolerance, time horizon, and portfolio context. These metrics are computed from SEC filings and market data — they are not investment recommendations.
Are MRK and LLY correlated?
The 252-day correlation between MRK and LLY is 0.439. They show moderate correlation — partially diversifying.
How is the Tale of the Tape scored?
The Tale of the Tape compares both stocks across nine categories: profitability (net margin), valuation (P/E), efficiency (ROIC), health (Piotroski F-Score), safety (Altman Z-Score), growth (revenue YoY), risk (Sharpe ratio), leverage (debt-to-equity), and cash generation (FCF yield). The stock that wins more categories takes the overall score. Lower P/E and lower debt-to-equity count as wins.