IDXX vs LLY vs MRK Stock Comparison

Idexx Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Merck Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (COR) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
LLY ELI LILLY & Co
$1,367.37 +18.1% 1M +47.7% 1Y
Market cap
$1.22T
P/E
44.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$86.46B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
6 wins
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$146.90 +3.5% 1M +74.1% 1Y
Market cap
$362.64B
P/E
147.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$67.38B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Eli Lilly leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Eli Lilly 6, Idexx Laboratories 3, Merck 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIDXXLLYMRKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $53.33B $1.22T $362.64B LLY
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 45.1x 44.4x 147.8x LLY
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 42.6x 40.9x 56.5x LLY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.9% +45.5% +4.9% LLY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 25.4% 31.9% 3.6% LLY
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 45.4% 38.2% 2.9% IDXX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.4x 1.0x 3.4x IDXX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -6.9% +47.7% +74.1% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.0%/yr +38.9%/yr +12.5%/yr LLY
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.9% 35.2% 30.0% MRK
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 76/100 72/100 61/100 IDXX

Percentile Scorecard

IDXXLLYMRK

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisIDXXLLYMRK
Valuation 74 #164 of 634 76 #151 of 634 86 #90 of 634
Growth 70 #182 of 608 96 #24 of 608 29 #431 of 608
Profitability 97 #16 of 557 98 #11 of 557 90 #59 of 557
Financial Health 47 #349 of 654 27 #477 of 654 21 #519 of 654
Shareholder Returns 92 #32 of 403 62 #155 of 403 79 #87 of 403
Overall 76 72 61
  • IDXX ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • LLY ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • MRK ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodIDXXLLYMRKSPY
1 month +30.1%+18.1%+3.5% -5.9%
3 months +13.7%+14.7%+14.5% -4.6%
6 months +17.2%+40.2%+30.8% +0.2%
Year to date -0.9%+27.2%+39.6% +7.5%
1 year -6.9%+47.7%+74.1% +8.2%
3 years +58.6%+129.7%+40.8% +68.3%
3 years, per year +16.6%+32.0%+12.1% +19.0%
5 years +5.2%+416.0%+80.0% +56.5%
5 years, per year +1.0%+38.9%+12.5% +9.4%
10 years +531.5%+1,786.3%+149.7% +251.5%
10 years, per year +20.2%+34.1%+9.6% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureIDXXLLYMRKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.9%35.2%30.0% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.5%30.2%24.4% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.800.280.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.191.362.47 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.9%-34.8%-44.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -12.5%-3.6%-6.1% -5.9%
52-week high $766.68$1,417.72$156.45 $779.14
52-week low $504.70$851.21$84.39 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleIDXXLLYMRK
P/E now vs peer median 44.7xmedian 17.8x 44.2xmedian 17.8x 147.8xmedian 17.8x
P/S now vs peer median 11.3xmedian 8.1x 14.9xmedian 8.1x 5.4xmedian 8.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 32.1xmedian 15.7x 29.5xmedian 15.7x 31.7xmedian 15.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 40.5xmedian 21.0x 65.4xmedian 21.0x 24.6xmedian 21.0x
P/B now vs peer median 28.3xmedian 2.0x 31.9xmedian 2.0x 8.1xmedian 2.0x
PEG now vs peer median 2.95median 0.36 0.57median 0.36 -8.11median 0.36

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsIDXXLLYMRK
Revenue $4.66B $86.46B $67.38B
Gross profit $2.92B $72.31B $48.35B
Operating income $1.51B $42.95B $5.46B
Net income $1.18B $27.58B $2.45B
Free cash flow $1.30B $19.66B $14.75B
R&D $266.87M $15.38B $30.76B
EPS (diluted) $14.96 $30.87 $0.99
Cash & equivalents $197.54M $4.89B $9.55B
Total debt $848.88M $49.50B $53.78B
Shares (diluted) 79.05M 893.40M 2.48B
Enterprise value $52.56B $1.20T $325.58B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricIDXXLLYMRK
P/E 44.7x 44.2x 147.8x
P/FCF 40.5x 65.4x 24.6x
P/Operating cash flow 37.2x 42.0x 19.4x
P/S 11.3x 14.9x 5.4x
P/B 28.3x 31.9x 8.1x
P/Tangible book 30.2x 58.0x 17.7x
EV/EBITDA 32.1x 29.5x 31.7x
EV/EBIT 35.5x 31.0x 74.4x
EV/Revenue 11.5x 15.4x 6.0x
EV/FCF 41.0x 67.7x 27.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 37.7x 43.4x 21.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.95 0.57 -8.11

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIDXXLLYMRK
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.9% 45.5% 4.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.1% 39.2% 4.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.7% 46.6% -2.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.8% 42.0% 3.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 15.3% 67.5% -74.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.8% 66.4% -11.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 15.1% 49.8% -87.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.8% 76.8% -19.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.4% 50.7% -87.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 15.1% 77.2% -18.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 30.4% 90.8% 9.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 19.6% 70.2% 2.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 35.3% 112.1% 13.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 24.2% 80.6% 3.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIDXXLLYMRK
Gross margin 62.7% 83.6% 71.8%
EBITDA margin 35.7% 52.2% 19.0%
Operating margin 32.3% 49.7% 8.1%
Pretax margin 31.7% 40.2% 7.1%
Net margin 25.4% 31.9% 3.6%
FCF margin 28.0% 22.7% 21.9%
Operating cash flow margin 30.4% 35.4% 27.8%
Return on equity 67.9% 74.4% 5.6%
Return on assets 33.1% 19.0% 1.9%
Return on invested capital 45.4% 38.2% 2.9%
Return on capital employed 65.2% 43.7% 5.3%
Asset turnover 1.3x 0.6x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.1x 7.6x
Stock comp / revenue 1.4% 0.8% 1.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIDXXLLYMRK
Debt / assets 22.9% 33.4% 40.5%
Debt / equity 0.5x 1.2x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.4x 1.0x 3.4x
Debt / FCF 0.7x 2.5x 3.6x
Liabilities / assets 49.6% 72.8% 66.1%
Equity / assets 50.4% 27.2% 33.9%
Interest coverage 43.5x – –
Current ratio 1.2x 1.4x 1.4x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.6x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 22.69 9.21 3.91

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIDXXLLYMRK
Dividend yield – 0.5% 2.3%
Net buyback yield 1.8% 0.5% 0.8%
Shareholder yield 1.8% 0.9% 3.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 341.6%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 56.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 3.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 4.4%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusIDXXLLYMRK
Forward P/E 42.6xFY2026 40.9xFY2026 56.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $15.74FY2026 $33.41FY2026 $2.60FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +20.3%FY2026 +38.0%FY2026 -71.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.5% +45.0% +231.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.02BFY2026 $87.27BFY2026 $69.61BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +16.8%FY2026 +33.9%FY2026 +7.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +18.4% -4.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIDXXLLYMRK
Held by institutions 93.6% 83.7% 79.9%
Institutions holding 1,291 4,635 3,803
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.1% +1.5% +2.6%
Institutions buying 589 2,636 1,843
Institutions selling 496 1,472 1,469
Buyers to sellers 1.19 1.79 1.25

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

IDXXLLYMRK
IDXX 1.00 0.20 0.14
LLY 0.20 1.00 0.44
MRK 0.14 0.44 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IDXX, LLY and MRK?

Eli Lilly (LLY) is the largest by market capitalisation: Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) $53.33B, Eli Lilly (LLY) $1.22T, Merck (MRK) $362.64B.

Which stock is cheaper, IDXX, LLY and MRK?

Eli Lilly (LLY) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 45.1x, Eli Lilly (LLY) 44.4x, Merck (MRK) 147.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Eli Lilly (LLY) is cheapest (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 42.6x, Eli Lilly (LLY) 40.9x, Merck (MRK) 56.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Eli Lilly (LLY) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +11.9%, Eli Lilly (LLY) +45.5%, Merck (MRK) +4.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Eli Lilly (LLY) has the highest net margin (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 25.4%, Eli Lilly (LLY) 31.9%, Merck (MRK) 3.6%). On return on invested capital, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) leads (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 45.4%, Eli Lilly (LLY) 38.2%, Merck (MRK) 2.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -6.9%, Eli Lilly (LLY) +47.7%, Merck (MRK) +74.1%. Over five years, Eli Lilly (LLY) compounded fastest (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +1.0%/yr, Eli Lilly (LLY) +38.9%/yr, Merck (MRK) +12.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 0.00%, Eli Lilly (LLY) 0.00%, Merck (MRK) 0.02%. Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) and Eli Lilly (LLY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Merck (MRK) has been the steadiest (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 35.9%, Eli Lilly (LLY) 35.2%, Merck (MRK) 30.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, IDXX, LLY and MRK?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Eli Lilly (LLY) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.