ABBV vs LLY – Comparing 10-Year Total Returns & Dividend Growth of AbbVie vs. Eli Lilly

Compare the 10-year performance and dividend income and total return of two leading companies in the bio-medical field: AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) and Eli Lilly and Company (LLY).

AbbVie Inc. ABBV | NYSE

$287.75 $2.11 | 0.74%

10 Year Returns (with DRIP): 590.4%

Dividend (Quarterly): $1.73

Dividend Yield (FWD): 2.4%

Eli Lilly and Company LLY | NYSE

$1280.51 $7.05 | 0.55%

10 Year Returns (with DRIP): 1,839.2%

Dividend (Quarterly): $1.73

Dividend Yield (FWD): 0.54%

10 years returns for ABBV & LLY - dividends, price growth and total returns:

Stats below compares the performance of a $10,000 investment into each company 10 years ago, with dividends being automatically reinvested (DRIP) on the payout day, with no additional investments.

Here is a chart comparing the 10-year total returns of ABBV and LLY, shown side-by-side. These total return figures take into account dividend reinvestment and represent the value of all shares owned at each respective point in time.

Estimate Dividend Snowball and total future returns for ABBV and LLY with our dividend (DRIP) calculator.

AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) and Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) are two names in the Drug Manufacturers - General business, both trading on NYSE. LLY is roughly 2.2x ABBV's size — a $1.1T market cap against $504.8B. Over the trailing twelve months, ABBV booked $64.4B in revenue against LLY's $79.7B. On price, LLY has been the faster grower — a 32.5%/yr CAGR over the last 10 years versus 16.78%/yr for ABBV. The numbers on this page — total returns of a $10,000 dividend-reinvested (DRIP) position, price history, dividend growth, valuation and growth — come straight from our market data.

ABBV vs LLY at a glance

Over the past 10 years, LLY delivered the stronger run: a $10,000 position with dividends reinvested grew to $193,924, a 1,839.2% total return — far ahead of the same $10,000 in ABBV, which reached $69,040 (590.4%). That is a 1248.8-point spread, measured, not projected.

On the dividend side, ABBV pays $1.73 quarterly — a 2.4% yield at today's $287.75 price — while LLY pays $1.73 quarterly for a 0.54% yield at $1,280.51. Over the window, the $10,000 position collected $9,788 in ABBV dividends against $5,139 from LLY. LLY has raised its payout faster, compounding 13.11%/yr against 10.73%/yr for ABBV.

Every figure in this comparison is computed from DRIPCalc's own price and dividend history for ABBV and LLY — the same data behind every chart and calculator on this page.

Compare Earnings, Free Cash Flow, Dividend Payout Ratios and other metrics for ABBV vs LLY — or open each ticker's full history: ABBV, LLY.

Here are 5 year price charts for ABBV & LLY:

In the span of 10 years, the price of ABBV climbed 372%, from $61.02 to $287.75 — a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.78%.

In the span of 10 years, the price of LLY climbed 1,568%, from $76.76 to $1280.51 — a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.5%.

Dividend payments and yield graphs for ABBV & LLY:

The 10-year window opened with ABBV paying $1.55 per share; the latest payment is $1.73 — a dividend CAGR of 10.73%. LLY went from $0.51 to $1.73 over the same stretch, a 13.11% CAGR.

Expanded Chart

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Charts above show historic dividend payments for each company, with the Dividend Yield curve overlaying the payments and the Dividend CAGR for the last 1, 2, 5 and 10 years. A rising yield curve means the price was cheap relative to the dividend at those payment dates; a sloping-down curve means the stock was getting more expensive relative to its dividends.

Based on ABBV's 10-year CAGR, it would take 6.71 years to double your dividend yield-on-cost.
Based on LLY's 10-year CAGR, it would take 5.49 years to double your dividend yield-on-cost.

Rule of 72: divide 72 by a growth rate to approximate the years it takes to double — the doubling times above come straight from each dividend CAGR on this page. One caution: extreme double-digit yields have historically often preceded dividend cuts.

Investing $10,000 in ABBV & LLY today: Estimated Future Return & Dividends:

Looking across up to ten years of history, ABBV achieved a share price compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.78%, accompanied by a dividend CAGR of 10.73%.

By the same measure, LLY recorded a share price CAGR of 32.5%, along with a dividend CAGR of 13.11%.

How a $10,000 investment could perform based on these historic CAGR numbers:

If you invest $10000 today into one of these companies, applying these CAGR figures forecasts the 10-year path of your initial investment, assuming dividends are continuously reinvested (DRIP), as detailed below:

And here is how your $10,000 investment into AbbVie Inc. or Eli Lilly and Company could perform based on the CAGR figures above, represented on a graph - a Dividend DRIP Snowball:

Try our dividend DRIP calculator: ABBV or LLY - estimate your returns and dividend income!

Using our dividend calculator, you can customize initial investment, projected Dividend & Price growth rate, additional investment amount and frequency, to fit your investing style and goals.

The figures above are projections built on each stock's historical Dividend and Price CAGR under a DRIP assumption — estimations only, and actual returns will vary.

Latest price & signal check: ABBV vs LLY

ABBV$287.75

Trend Signal:|Oct 13 '26|RSI 65ABBV has a Trend Signal — Oct 13 '26 (13 days ago)

LLY$1,280.51

Trend Signal:|Oct 9 '26|RSI 62LLY has a Trend Signal — Oct 9 '26 (17 days ago)

Signal states are computed by our signals engine from price data — shown here as data points, not recommendations.

Longer-term price trends: ABBV vs LLY

ABBV last closed at $287.75, within 0.5% of its 52-week high of $289.08. The share price has gone up 26.2% over the last year, a 21.3%/yr pace over five years, compounded 16.8%/yr over the decade.

LLY last closed at $1,280.51, within 2% of its 52-week high of $1,306.69. The share price has gone up 55.1% over the last year, a 38.8%/yr pace over five years, compounded 32.5%/yr over the decade.

Price CAGRs are computed from closing prices over each window — descriptive history, not a projection.

Earnings power: what ABBV and LLY actually earn

Over the trailing twelve months, ABBV earned $3.54 per share on $64.39B of revenue, while LLY earned $29.80 per share on $79.67B — ABBV's revenue base is 19% less than LLY's.

ABBV compounded reported EPS at -10.1%/yr over 3 years (-0.9%/yr over 5). Meanwhile LLY compounded reported EPS at 61.4%/yr over 3 years (35.4%/yr over 5). Both rates compare reported results with reported results — the forward view further down uses estimates against estimates.

Against expectations: LLY beat GAAP-based street numbers in 5 of the last 8 quarters.

Note: reported (GAAP) and street (adjusted) EPS differ materially for ABBV; growth shown is estimate-over-estimate.

Head-to-head: ABBV vs LLY across four metric families

Each family scores its own game — cheaper wins valuation, faster wins growth, higher wins profitability, cleaner wins cash quality. A cell is highlighted when the gap tops 3%; anything tighter is scored even.

* forward figures use street estimates for quarters past the last reported one (45-day window). Forward EPS growth = the next 4 quarters' street estimates over the last 4 quarters' street estimates (estimate over estimate, never estimates over reported actuals) — the same figure as each stock page's Company Overview. PEG = forward PE ÷ that growth (N/M under 2% growth). Forward PE is price over estimated earnings — the market convention.

Rule of 40: growth plus cash margin

A growth-stock health check: 1-year revenue growth (actual) plus trailing-twelve-month FCF margin. Above 40 = the growth is paying for itself; the further above, the rarer the machine.

LLY posts the stronger combined score — 74.8 against 38.7.

Free cash flow: the money that's actually left over

ABBV generated $18.21B of free cash flow over the trailing twelve months — 9% less than LLY's $20.05B.

Per share, quarter by quarter — the cleaner lens once buybacks enter the picture:

Quality check — ABBV converts 288% of net income into free cash (down from 485% a year ago); LLY converts 75% of net income into free cash (up from -0% a year ago). Above 100% means the business throws off more cash than its accounting profit suggests.

Capital intensity: capex eats 2.1¢ of every revenue dollar at ABBV — flat year over year; capex eats 10.1¢ of every revenue dollar at LLY — down from 20.6¢ a year ago.

The margin story: who keeps more of each sale

ABBV's net margin averaged 9.5% over the last four quarters vs 6.6% the year before — expanding. LLY's net margin averaged 33.6% over the last four quarters vs 24.8% the year before — expanding.

If the trends hold: a 5-year back-of-the-envelope for ABBV & LLY

If ABBV delivers the street's next-four-quarter EPS and compounds it at the estimate-over-estimate 9.9%/yr, still fetching 18.9x forward earnings in five years, the stock would trade near $419.20. A buyer demanding 15%/yr returns could pay up to $208.42 today (current price: $287.75).

Street estimates don't reach far enough out for LLY, so this path extends its own reported record: compounding trailing EPS at its historical 61.4%/yr with today's 43x trailing multiple puts the stock near $14,034.68 in five years; a 15%/yr hurdle prices that path at up to $6,977.72 today (current price: $1,280.51).

Caveat, prominently: these paths extrapolate street estimates and today's forward multiples for one ticker and the reported earnings trends and today's trailing multiples five years into the future. Estimates get revised, multiples compress, trends bend, cycles turn — treat this as arithmetic, not prophecy.

Yield-on-cost, five years out

At today's 2.4% yield, five more years of ABBV's 10.73%/yr dividend growth would put the yield-on-cost at 4% of today's price. Meanwhile, at today's 0.54% yield, five more years of LLY's 13.11%/yr dividend growth would put the yield-on-cost at 1% of today's price.

ABBV vs LLY: quick answers