Growth Metrics

Eli Lilly (LLY) Return on Capital Employed (2009 - 2026)

Eli Lilly posted quarterly Return on Capital Employed of 42.94% for Q1 2026, up 806.0% year-on-year from 4.74% in Q1 2025, and up 15.35% on a QoQ basis from 37.22% in Q4 2025.

Eli Lilly (LLY) has 18 years of Return on Capital Employed data on file, last reported at 42.94% in Q1 2026.

  • For the quarter ending Q1 2026, Return on Capital Employed rose 806.0% year-over-year to 42.94%; the trailing twelve-month figure through Mar 2026 stood at 42.94% (up 806.0% YoY), and the FY2025 full-year result was 48.39%, up 1075.0% from the prior year.
  • Return on Capital Employed for Q1 2026 stood at 42.94%, up from 37.22% in the prior quarter.
  • Across five years, Return on Capital Employed topped out at 42.94% in Q1 2026 and bottomed at 20.0% in Q1 2023.
  • The 5-year median for Return on Capital Employed is 28.23% (2024), against an average of 30.19%.
  • The widest annual swing landed in 2023, when Return on Capital Employed tumbled 575 bps; it then soared 1002 bps in 2025.
  • A 5-year view of Return on Capital Employed shows it stood at 25.64% in 2022, then advanced by 19 bps to 30.47% in 2023, then grew by 9 bps to 33.16% in 2024, then advanced by 12 bps to 37.22% in 2025, then grew by 15 bps to 42.94% in 2026.
  • The last three Return on Capital Employed figures came in at 42.94% (Q1 2026), 37.22% (Q4 2025), and 37.83% (Q3 2025), per Business Quant data.

Peer Comparison

# Company Market Cap Enterprise Value Gross Profit (Qtr) ROCE (Qtr)
1 Novartis Ag 107,124,802.25 Bn 107,124,802.25 Bn - -
2 Eli Lilly 969.00 Bn 963.72 Bn 16.22 Bn 42.94%
3 Johnson & Johnson 539.46 Bn 517.41 Bn 15.96 Bn 28.18%
4 AbbVie 376.92 Bn 367.57 Bn 10.78 Bn 16.47%
5 Merck 285.00 Bn 279.35 Bn 12.09 Bn -5.22%
6 Amgen 177.58 Bn 165.55 Bn 5.87 Bn 15.87%
7 Gilead Sciences 163.22 Bn 155.50 Bn 5.52 Bn 21.53%
8 Pfizer 145.86 Bn 133.09 Bn -1.21 Bn -10.20%
9 Bristol Myers Squibb 111.90 Bn 101.44 Bn 8.07 Bn -6.84%
10 Gsk 88.34 Bn 83.66 Bn - -

Historic Data

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DateValue
Mar 31, 2026 42.94%
Dec 31, 2025 37.22%
Sep 30, 2025 37.83%
Jun 30, 2025 39.15%
Mar 31, 2025 34.87%
Dec 31, 2024 33.16%
Sep 30, 2024 28.23%
Jun 30, 2024 31.69%
Mar 31, 2024 24.85%
Dec 31, 2023 30.47%
Sep 30, 2023 27.13%
Jun 30, 2023 21.77%
Mar 31, 2023 20.00%
Dec 31, 2022 25.64%
Sep 30, 2022 26.30%
Jun 30, 2022 27.52%
Mar 31, 2022 24.45%
Dec 31, 2021 21.91%
Sep 30, 2021 21.68%
Jun 30, 2021 20.66%
Mar 31, 2021 18.99%
Dec 31, 2020 20.81%
Sep 30, 2020 19.08%
Jun 30, 2020 20.79%
Mar 31, 2020 22.57%
Dec 31, 2019 21.59%
Sep 30, 2019 20.62%
Jun 30, 2019 21.02%
Mar 31, 2019 18.97%
Dec 31, 2018 17.87%
Sep 30, 2018 17.11%
Jun 30, 2018 17.58%
Mar 31, 2018 15.04%
Dec 31, 2017 15.90%
Sep 30, 2017 15.39%
Jun 30, 2017 15.53%
Mar 31, 2017 14.69%
Dec 31, 2016 14.23%
Sep 30, 2016 12.38%
Jun 30, 2016 13.16%
Mar 31, 2016 12.77%
Dec 31, 2015 12.96%
Sep 30, 2015 13.39%
Jun 30, 2015 12.39%
Mar 31, 2015 12.13%
Dec 31, 2014 12.93%
Sep 30, 2014 12.62%
Jun 30, 2014 15.62%
Mar 31, 2014 17.52%
Dec 31, 2013 21.60%
Sep 30, 2013 22.82%
Jun 30, 2013 22.25%
Mar 31, 2013 19.62%
Dec 31, 2012 19.31%
Sep 30, 2012 18.45%
Jun 30, 2012 20.70%
Mar 31, 2012 21.40%
Dec 31, 2011 24.23%
Sep 30, 2011 25.50%
Jun 30, 2011 26.40%
Mar 31, 2011 26.34%
Dec 31, 2010 26.58%
Sep 30, 2010 26.85%
Jun 30, 2010 26.18%
Mar 31, 2010 25.06%
Dec 31, 2009 33.12%