ABBV vs LLY: how the two businesses compare

  • Similar size: LLY and ABBV each brought in about $65.2B of yearly revenue.
  • More profitable: LLY keeps 32 cents of each sales dollar as profit, against 7 cents at ABBV.
  • More cash from each sale: ABBV turns 31 cents of each sales dollar into operating cash flow, against 26 cents at LLY.

From each company's latest annual SEC filing. Fiscal years can end on different dates.

Eli Lilly and (LLY) and AbbVie (ABBV) reported similar revenue: $65.2B (fiscal year ended Dec 2025) versus $61.2B (fiscal year ended Dec 2025). ABBV's net margin was 6.9% and LLY's 31.7%. Both file with the SEC under the same industry code, SIC 2834 (Pharmaceutical Preparations).

Figures come from each company's own SEC filings. This page compares the businesses; it is not a price target or a verdict.

Sector
Health Care
SEC industry
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Same classification
Fiscal year ends
December 31
Same calendar
Reviewed
Feb 20, 2026

ABBV vs LLY: quick comparison

Company factABBVLLY
CompanyAbbVie Inc.Eli Lilly and Company
ExchangeNYSENYSE
HeadquartersNorth Chicago, IllinoisIndianapolis, Indiana
Founded20131876
SEC industryPharmaceutical PreparationsPharmaceutical Preparations
Fiscal year-endDecember 31December 31
Latest annual filing10-K · 2026-02-2010-K · 2026-02-12

ABBV vs LLY: audited financials

  • Scale: revenue is roughly in line ($65.2B for LLY versus $61.2B for ABBV).
  • Net margin: LLY kept 31.7% of revenue as net income versus 6.9% at ABBV.
  • Cash conversion: operating cash flow equalled ABBV 31.1% of revenue, or 4.50× net income; LLY 25.8% of revenue, or 0.81× net income. A ratio well above 1× usually reflects non-cash charges or working-capital release; well below 1× can reflect working-capital build or non-cash gains.
  • Periods: both fiscal years end on 2025-12-31, so these annual figures cover the same months.

ABBV: FY ending 2025-12-31 · LLY: FY ending 2025-12-31. Figures as tagged in each issuer's SEC XBRL filing; fiscal calendars may not align.

Where ABBV and LLY overlap, and where they don't

Overlap

  • Same SEC industry: both report under SIC 2834, Pharmaceutical Preparations.
  • Same fiscal calendar: both fiscal years end December 31.

Differences

  • Profitability: net margin of 6.9% for ABBV versus 31.7% for LLY.

Overlap is drawn from SEC classifications and Yield Theory research themes. It is not evidence that the companies sell to the same customers or compete product for product.

AbbVie Inc. (ABBV)

AbbVie is a biopharmaceutical company known for immunology drugs, aesthetics, and neuroscience treatments. It has worked to replace revenue from its Humira franchise with newer immunology therapies.

Eli Lilly and Company (LLY)

Eli Lilly is a pharmaceutical company whose GLP-1 diabetes and obesity treatments have become blockbuster franchises. It also develops therapies in oncology, immunology, and neuroscience.

What moves each company

Company-specific drivers maintained by Yield Theory. Use them to decide which filing deserves deeper work; they are not predictions.

What moves ABBV

We have not yet published a company-specific driver list for ABBV. The primary source is Item 1 (Business) and Item 1A (Risk Factors) of its 10-K filed 2026-02-20.

What moves LLY

  • Mounjaro and Zepbound volume, realized pricing, and payer coverage
  • Orforglipron and other pipeline approvals
  • Manufacturing capacity expansion across new U.S. and European sites
  • U.S. drug-pricing agreements, Medicare negotiation, and compounded tirzepatide

The investment question

You now know how ABBV and LLY are classified, when their fiscal years end, and where their exposures overlap. Those are the facts. The investment question is what each share price already assumes about the pharmaceutical preparations cycle, including “Mounjaro and Zepbound volume, realized pricing, and payer coverage” at LLY, and which evidence in the next filings would prove that assumption wrong.

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SEC filing comparison and disclosure evidence

Start with primary filings because fiscal calendars and accounting presentation can make superficially similar quarters incomparable. Both fiscal years end December 31, so annual reports line up, but check segment definitions before comparing growth or margins.

The current verified House and Senate snapshot contains 37 matched transaction rows for ABBV and 66 matched transaction rows for LLY. These delayed, range-based disclosures can identify a filing to inspect; they do not establish motive, conviction, or a real-time trading signal.

What this comparison cannot tell you

This page does not contain licensed live prices, a valuation model, earnings estimates, portfolio constraints, or a forecast of future returns. SEC classifications can be broad, company descriptions can lag strategic change, and the latest annual filing may predate a material acquisition or divestiture. Read subsequent quarterly and current reports before making a decision.

A stronger business is not automatically the better stock. Starting valuation, expectations, capital structure, cyclicality, dilution, and the probability of each thesis determine the investment outcome. Use this comparison to frame the work, then verify the numbers in the linked filings and current company disclosures.

ABBV vs LLY FAQs

Are ABBV and LLY direct competitors?

AbbVie and Eli Lilly and share the SEC industry classification “Pharmaceutical Preparations.” That makes the operating comparison relevant, but it does not prove that every product, customer, or revenue stream competes directly.

Is ABBV or LLY the bigger company by revenue?

Eli Lilly and (LLY) and AbbVie (ABBV) reported similar revenue: $65.2B (fiscal year ended Dec 2025) versus $61.2B (fiscal year ended Dec 2025). ABBV's net margin was 6.9% and LLY's 31.7%. Both file with the SEC under the same industry code, SIC 2834 (Pharmaceutical Preparations). Each figure is the annual amount tagged in the company's own SEC XBRL filing; market value depends on live prices, which this page does not publish.

Which is better, ABBV or LLY?

There is no context-free winner. Compare the operating exposures, filing evidence, valuation, balance sheet, and risks against the specific thesis you are testing. This page deliberately does not turn a static profile into a buy or sell recommendation.

Does this ABBV vs LLY comparison include live prices?

No. Yield Theory does not republish unlicensed real-time market data. The financial figures on this page are the audited annual numbers AbbVie Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company tagged in their SEC XBRL filings. Use a regulated broker or licensed quote provider for current prices and valuation multiples.

Where does the company information come from?

Company classifications, fiscal year-ends, and filing links come from the SEC EDGAR submissions API snapshot refreshed 2026-11-09. Business summaries and research themes are maintained by Yield Theory.

Data snapshot: SEC EDGAR submissions API, refreshed 2026-11-09. Independent educational research; not investment advice.

Which business differences matter to the investment thesis?

ABBV vs LLY compares reported results. The reports below show how we connect operating evidence to an investment thesis, its assumptions, catalysts, and risks. $39/month or $249/year.

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