LLY vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Eli Lilly and Company and Mastercard Incorporated β€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-04-11.
Eli Lilly and Company Β· Healthcare
$939.47
+71.1% upside to fair value
High Conviction Grade A
VS
Mastercard Incorporated Β· Financial Services
$498.66
+22.3% upside to fair value
High Conviction Grade A-
QuantHub Verdict
LLY has more upside to fair value (+71.1%). MA trades at a lower forward P/E (25.5x). These are model outputs β€” not personalized investment advice. See all research β†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric LLY MA
Current Price $939.47 $498.66
Fair Value Estimate $1,607.00 $610.00
Upside to Fair Value +71.1% +22.3%
Market Cap $887.6B $445.0B
Forward P/E 27.4x 25.5x
EV / EBITDA 35.8x 22.4x
Price / Sales 14.8x 13.6x
Price / FCF 107.6x 26.0x
Revenue Growth YoY +44.7% +16.4%
Gross Margin 83.8% 83.4%
Operating Margin 45.6% 59.2%
Return on Equity 77.8% 198.4%
Dividend Yield 0.56% 0.65%
FCF Yield 0.93% 3.84%
Analyst Consensus Strong Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
LLY β€” Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly remains the dominant GLP-1 franchise holder with Mounjaro and Zepbound generating $36.5B combined in 2025 on 45% total revenue growth to $65.2B. The company guided $80-83B for 2026, well above prior Street consensus, and launched Foundayo (oral GLP-1, FDA approved April 2026) with $1.5B pre-built inventory. At $939 the stock trades at 14.8x P/S, right at its 5-year median, and 27.4x for…
MA β€” Mastercard Incorporated
Mastercard operates one of the world's two dominant payment networks, processing over $9 trillion in gross dollar volume annually across 220+ countries. The business generates 83% gross margins and 46% net margins with zero credit risk because Mastercard never lends money, only collecting tolls on every transaction. Value-Added Services (analytics, fraud prevention, cybersecurity) now comprise 41…
Accumulation Zones
Metric LLY MA
Zone Low $1,205.00 $460.00
Zone High $1,366.00 $515.00
In Buy Zone? Yes Yes
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