Sifting through countless of stocks in the Pharmaceuticals industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Eli Lilly and Company or Novo Nordisk A/S because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals in the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and internationally. The company offers 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, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity. It also provides oncology products, including Alimta, Cyramza, Erbitux, Jaypirca, Retevmo, Tyvyt, and Verzenio. In addition, the company offers Olumiant for rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, severe alopecia areata, and COVID-19; Taltz for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis; Omvoh for ulcerative colitis; Cymbalta for depressive disorder, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain; Ebglyss for severe atopic dermatitis; and Emgality for migraine prevention and episodic cluster headache. It has collaborations with Incyte Corporation; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Genentech, Inc.; Biologics, Inc., AbCellera Biologics Inc.; Verge Genomics; collaboration with AdvanCell to advance novel targeted alpha therapies for the treatment of cancer; and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd; Strategic Collaboration with Eli Lilly to advance development of its myeloid engager platform for autoimmune disease, as well as Strategic partnership with NVIDIA Corporation. The company also has a research collaboration agreement with Insilico Medicine for the development of advance therapies. Eli Lilly and Company was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease. The Diabetes and Obesity care segment provides products for diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, and other emerging therapy areas. The Rare Disease segment offers products in the areas of rare blood disorders, rare endocrine disorders, and hormone replacement therapy. The company also provides insulin pens, growth hormone pens, and injection needles. In addition, it offers smart solutions for diabetes treatment, such as smart insulin pens and Dose Check, an insulin dose guidance application. The company has a collaboration agreement with UNICEF to tackle childhood obesity; and with Valo Health, Inc. to discover and develop novel drug programmes for cardiometabolic space. Novo Nordisk A/S was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Bagsvaerd, Denmark.

Latest Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk A/S Stock News

As of December 2, 2025, Eli Lilly and Company had a $936.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Pharmaceuticals median of $422.6 million. Eli Lilly and Company’s stock is up 34.1% in 2025, down 6.7% in the previous five trading days and up 34.03% in the past year.

Currently, Eli Lilly and Company’s price-earnings ratio is 51.8. Eli Lilly and Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $59.4 billion with a 31.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 53.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $23.685 per share for the current fiscal year. Eli Lilly and Company currently has a 0.6% dividend yield.

As of December 2, 2025, Novo Nordisk A/S had a $211.8 billion market cap, putting it in the 99th percentile of all stocks. Novo Nordisk A/S’s stock is down 44.4% in 2025, up 1.7% in the previous five trading days and down 54.37% in the past year.

Currently, Novo Nordisk A/S’s price-earnings ratio is 13.2. Novo Nordisk A/S’s trailing 12-month revenue is $49.6 billion with a 32.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 10.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.591 per share for the current fiscal year. Novo Nordisk A/S currently has a 2.4% dividend yield.

How We Compare Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Eli Lilly and Company	LLY	A
Novo Nordisk A/S	NVO	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Eli Lilly and Company has a Growth Score of 91, which is Very Strong. Novo Nordisk A/S has a Growth Score of 70, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Eli Lilly and Company

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Eli Lilly and Company has a more attractive growth grade than Novo Nordisk A/S. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Eli Lilly and Company could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Eli Lilly and Company	LLY	A
Novo Nordisk A/S	NVO	B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Eli Lilly and Company has a Quality Score of 81, which is Very Strong. Novo Nordisk A/S has a Quality Score of 66, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Eli Lilly and Company

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Eli Lilly and Company has a better overall quality grade than Novo Nordisk A/S. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Eli Lilly and Company could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Eli Lilly and Company	LLY	B
Novo Nordisk A/S	NVO	D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Eli Lilly and Company has a Earnings Estimate Score of 70, which is Positive. Novo Nordisk A/S has a Earnings Estimate Score of 28, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Eli Lilly and Company

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Eli Lilly and Company has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Novo Nordisk A/S. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Eli Lilly and Company could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S Grades

In addition to Growth, Estimate Revisions and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Eli Lilly and Company or Novo Nordisk A/S Stock?

Overall, Eli Lilly and Company stock has a Growth Score of 91, Estimate Revisions Score of 70 and Quality Score of 81.

Novo Nordisk A/S stock has a Growth Score of 70, Estimate Revisions Score of 28 and Quality Score of 66.

Comparing Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk A/S’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.