Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare CDT Equity Inc. (CDT) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stability / Safety | Beta 0.34 vs LLY's 0.65 | |
| Dividends | 0.5% yield; 10-year raise streak; CDT pays no meaningful dividend | |
| Momentum (1Y) | +8.6% vs CDT's -99.4% | |
| Efficiency (ROA) | 16.0% ROA vs CDT's -237.4% |
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
CDT Equity is a healthcare company that facilitates the development and commercialization of clinical-stage medical assets. It generates revenue through licensing agreements, milestone payments, and equity stakes in the biotech companies it partners with — typically taking a share of future commercial success. Its key advantage lies in its founders' deep pharmaceutical industry expertise and strategic approach to identifying promising clinical assets with commercial potential.
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
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
LLY leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). CDT leads in 1 (Valuation Metrics). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
LLY and CDT operate at a comparable scale, with $59.4B and $0 in trailing revenue.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $0 | $59.4B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$17M | $28.6B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$20M | $18.4B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $34M | $9.0B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | — | +83.0% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | — | +45.0% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | — | +31.0% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | — | +15.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | +53.9% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +2.1% | +4.8% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1M | $898.2B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $8M | $928.6B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -0.03x | 85.70x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 29.43x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 13.94x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | 48.19x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | — | 19.94x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 63.57x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 2168.03x |
Profitability & Efficiency
LLY delivers a 77.2% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $77 in annual profit, vs $-5 for CDT. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), LLY scores 6/9 vs CDT's 1/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -4.7% | +77.2% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -2.4% | +16.0% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | +33.7% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | — | +40.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 1 | 6 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 2.36x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $7M | $30.4B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $554,000 | $3.3B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $7M | $33.6B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -15.44x | 26.09x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in LLY five years ago would be worth $49,693 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $0 for CDT. Over the past 12 months, LLY leads with a +8.6% total return vs CDT's -99.4%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors LLY at 47.3% vs CDT's -98.2% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -50.8% | -6.9% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -99.4% | +8.6% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -100.0% | +219.8% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -100.0% | +396.9% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -100.0% | +1316.4% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -98.2% | +47.3% |
Risk & Volatility
CDT is the less volatile stock with a 0.34 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than LLY's 0.65 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. LLY currently trades 88.5% from its 52-week high vs CDT's 0.4% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.34x | 0.65x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $168.00 | $1133.95 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $0.58 | $623.78 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +0.4% | +88.5% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 27.2 | 44.8 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 575K | 3.0M |
Analyst Outlook
LLY is the only dividend payer here at 0.52% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $1214.28 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 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 22 | Mar 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDT Equity Inc. (CDT) | 100 | 0 | -100.0% |
| Eli Lilly and Compa… (LLY) | 100 | 347.82 | +247.8% |
Eli Lilly and Compa… (LLY) returned +397% over 5 years vs CDT Equity Inc. (CDT)'s -100%. A $10,000 investment in LLY 5 years ago would be worth $49,693 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDT Equity Inc. (CDT) | $0.00 | $0.00 | — |
| 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 3P/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 ~86x.
Chart 4EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDT Equity Inc. (CDT) | -1.01 | -20.53 | -1932.7% |
| 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 5Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
CDT Equity Inc. generated $-10M FCF in 2024 (-352% vs 2021). Eli Lilly and Company generated $414M FCF in 2024 (-92% vs 2021).
CDT vs LLY: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is CDT or LLY a better buy right now?
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) offers the better valuation at 85.7x trailing P/E (29.4x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) a "Buy" — based on 44 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 is the better long-term investment — CDT or LLY?
Over the past 5 years, Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) delivered a total return of +396.9%, compared to -100.0% for CDT Equity Inc. (CDT). A $10,000 investment in LLY five years ago would be worth approximately $50K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: LLY returned +1316% versus CDT's -100.0%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — CDT or LLY?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), CDT Equity Inc. (CDT) is the lower-risk stock at 0.34β versus Eli Lilly and Company's 0.65β — meaning LLY is approximately 90% more volatile than CDT relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — CDT or LLY?
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) is the more profitable company, earning 23.5% net margin versus 0.0% for CDT Equity Inc. — 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 0.0% for CDT. 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.
05Which pays a better dividend — CDT or LLY?
In this comparison, LLY (0.5% yield) pays a dividend. CDT does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
06Is CDT 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), 0.5% yield, +1316% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (LLY: +1316%, CDT: -100.0%), 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.
07What are the main differences between CDT 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. LLY pays a dividend while CDT does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. 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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