Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Scilex Holding Company (SCLX) vs Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | LLY | 32.0% revenue growth vs SCLX's 21.1% |
| Value | SCLX | Lower P/E (2.6x vs 30.9x) |
| Quality / Margins | LLY | 31.0% net margin vs SCLX's -9.3% |
| Stability / Safety | LLY | Beta 0.65 vs SCLX's 0.96 |
| Dividends | LLY | 0.5% yield; 10-year raise streak; SCLX pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | LLY | +15.0% vs SCLX's -0.6% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | LLY | 16.0% ROA vs SCLX's -136.2% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Scilex Holding is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid pain management products. It generates revenue primarily from sales of its commercial product ZTlido — a prescription lidocaine topical patch for neuropathic pain — while advancing a pipeline of novel pain therapies through clinical trials. The company's competitive advantage lies in its specialized focus on non-opioid alternatives for acute and chronic pain, addressing a critical need in pain management with reduced addiction risks.
Eli Lilly is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and markets innovative medicines for serious diseases like diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. It generates revenue primarily from drug sales — with diabetes treatments like Trulicity and Mounjaro contributing over 50% of revenue — and from oncology and immunology products. The company's competitive advantage lies in its deep research and development capabilities, particularly in diabetes and obesity treatments where it has established a strong patent-protected portfolio.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Segment breakdown not available.
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
LLY leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Total Returns). SCLX leads in 1 (Valuation Metrics). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
LLY is the larger business by revenue, generating $59.4B annually — 1472.2x SCLX's $40M. LLY is the more profitable business, keeping 31.0% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to SCLX's -9.3%. On growth, LLY holds the edge at +53.9% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | SCLXScilex Holding Co… | LLYEli Lilly and Com… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $40M | $59.4B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$259M | $28.6B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$376M | $18.4B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $24M | $9.0B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +68.6% | +83.0% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -6.5% | +45.0% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -9.3% | +31.0% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +59.0% | +15.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -26.8% | +53.9% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -17.3% | +4.8% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | SCLXScilex Holding Co… | LLYEli Lilly and Com… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1.5B | $941.7B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $1.5B | $972.1B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -0.42x | 89.85x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 2.64x | 30.86x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 14.62x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | 50.45x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 26.58x | 20.91x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 66.65x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 77.75x | 2273.08x |
Profitability & Efficiency
| Metric | SCLXScilex Holding Co… | LLYEli Lilly and Com… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | +77.2% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -136.2% | +16.0% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | +33.7% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | — | +40.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 6 | 6 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 2.36x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $35M | $30.4B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $3M | $3.3B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $38M | $33.6B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -39.55x | 26.09x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in LLY five years ago would be worth $52,120 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $238 for SCLX. Over the past 12 months, LLY leads with a +15.0% total return vs SCLX's -0.6%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors LLY at 50.9% vs SCLX's -70.0% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | SCLXScilex Holding Co… | LLYEli Lilly and Com… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -37.3% | -2.4% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -0.6% | +15.0% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -97.3% | +243.3% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -97.6% | +421.2% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -97.6% | +1411.6% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -70.0% | +50.9% |
Risk & Volatility
LLY is the less volatile stock with a 0.65 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than SCLX's 0.96 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. LLY currently trades 92.8% from its 52-week high vs SCLX's 24.0% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | SCLXScilex Holding Co… | LLYEli Lilly and Com… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.96x | 0.65x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $34.27 | $1133.95 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $3.60 | $623.78 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +24.0% | +92.8% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 35.9 | 46.9 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 61K | 2.6M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates SCLX as "Buy" and LLY as "Buy". LLY is the only dividend payer here at 0.49% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | SCLXScilex Holding Co… | LLYEli Lilly and Com… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $1214.28 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 2 | 44 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | +0.5% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | — | 10 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | $5.18 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +0.3% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 21 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scilex Holding Comp… (SCLX) | 100 | 2.65 | -97.3% |
| Eli Lilly and Compa… (LLY) | 100 | 563.66 | +463.7% |
Eli Lilly and Compa… (LLY) returned +421% over 5 years vs Scilex Holding Comp… (SCLX)'s -98%. A $10,000 investment in LLY 5 years ago would be worth $52,120 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scilex Holding Comp… (SCLX) | $24M | $57M | +140.2% |
| Eli Lilly and Compa… (LLY) | $20.0B | $45.0B | +125.7% |
Eli Lilly and Company's revenue grew from $20.0B (2015) to $45.0B (2024) — a 9.5% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scilex Holding Comp… (SCLX) | -2.0% | -128.7% | -6278.8% |
| Eli Lilly and Compa… (LLY) | 12.1% | 23.5% | +94.8% |
Eli Lilly and Company's net margin went from 12% (2015) to 24% (2024).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 7 Years
| Stock | 2018 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly and Compa… (LLY) | 37 | 65.9 | +78.1% |
Eli Lilly and Company has traded in a 15x–101x P/E range over 7 years; current trailing P/E is ~90x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scilex Holding Comp… (SCLX) | -0.01 | -19.43 | -154106.3% |
| Eli Lilly and Compa… (LLY) | 2.18 | 11.71 | +437.2% |
Eli Lilly and Company's EPS grew from $2.18 (2015) to $11.71 (2024) — a 21% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Scilex Holding Company generated $19M FCF in 2024 (+168% vs 2021). Eli Lilly and Company generated $414M FCF in 2024 (-92% vs 2021).
SCLX vs LLY: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is SCLX or LLY a better buy right now?
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) offers the better valuation at 89.9x trailing P/E (30.9x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Scilex Holding Company (SCLX) a "Buy" — based on 2 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — SCLX or LLY?
On forward P/E, Scilex Holding Company is actually cheaper at 2.6x — notably different from the trailing picture, reflecting expected earnings growth.
03Which is the better long-term investment — SCLX or LLY?
Over the past 5 years, Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) delivered a total return of +421.2%, compared to -97.6% for Scilex Holding Company (SCLX). A $10,000 investment in LLY five years ago would be worth approximately $52K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: LLY returned +1412% versus SCLX's -97.6%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — SCLX or LLY?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) is the lower-risk stock at 0.65β versus Scilex Holding Company's 0.96β — meaning SCLX is approximately 47% more volatile than LLY relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — SCLX or LLY?
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) is the more profitable company, earning 23.5% net margin versus -128.7% for Scilex Holding Company — meaning it keeps 23.5% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: LLY leads at 38.9% versus -147.4% for SCLX. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — LLY leads at 81.3%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is SCLX or LLY more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, Scilex Holding Company (SCLX) trades at 2.6x forward P/E versus 30.9x for Eli Lilly and Company — 28.2x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis.
07Which pays a better dividend — SCLX or LLY?
In this comparison, LLY (0.5% yield) pays a dividend. SCLX does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
08Is SCLX or LLY better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.65), +1412% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (LLY: +1412%, SCLX: -97.6%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between SCLX and LLY?
Both stocks operate in the Healthcare sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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