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Compare Stocks › LLY vs NKE

Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) vs NIKE, Inc. (NKE): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-08-03, LLY is undervalued at $1126, with a DCF intrinsic value of $1529604356065 and a margin of safety of 100%. NKE is undervalued at $43, with an intrinsic value of $164 and a margin of safety of 74%. Of the two, LLY has the wider margin of safety.

LLY
Eli Lilly and Company
$1126.47
VS
NKE
NIKE, Inc.
$42.55

Rewards

LLY
  • ★Eli Lilly and Company has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Gross margin of 82.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Eli Lilly and Company scores 73/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
NKE
  • ★NIKE, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★NIKE, Inc. scores 71/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.

Risks

LLY
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $18.6M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
NKE
  • ⚠FCF yield of 3.0% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
  • ⚠Free cash flow has declined at a 23.5% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.

Key Valuation Metrics

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LLY
NKE
Valuation
$9.16B
Free Cash Flow
$1.89B
N/A
FCF Yield
2.99%
40.02
Trailing P/E
20.26
24.99
Forward P/E
18.53
Quality & Moat
37.80%
ROIC
17.95%
107.46%
ROE
22.14%
82.83%
Gross Margin
43.24%
1.61
PEG Ratio
1.60
Balance Sheet Safety
1.22
Net Debt / Equity
0.14
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
1.05
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.41
0.60%
Dividend Yield
3.93%
LLY: 4Ties: 2NKE: 5
LLYNKE

Historical Fundamentals

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LLY

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

NKE

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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LLY
$0.00
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Value Destroyer
Σ Retained
$22.34B
Δ Market Cap
+$708.84
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
NKE
$-20.04
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$5.15B
Δ Market Cap
$-103.20B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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LLY
100.0% Margin of Safety
Price is 100.0% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $1126.47
Fair Value: $1529604356065.14
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
NKE
74.0% Margin of Safety
Price is 74.0% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $42.55
Fair Value: $163.55
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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LLY

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $1126?

-30.0%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies -15.1%

The market implies -30.0% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding -15.1%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

NKE

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $43?

+7.9%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +15.1%

The market implies +7.9% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +15.1%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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LLY
73/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by roic consistency. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.
NKE
71/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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LLY
-1.83
Possible Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
NKE
-2.18
Possible Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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LLY
Insiders 0.2%Institutions 85.1%Retail & Other 14.8%
No. of Institutional Holders5,685
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
NKE
Insiders 1.7%Institutions 81.7%Retail & Other 16.7%
No. of Institutional Holders2,542
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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LLY
0
Buys (3M)
8
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $4.54M
MONTARCE LUCAS E
Chief Financial Officer
$494,627
@ $691.79 · 2025-08-15
ALVAREZ RALPH
Director
$500,473
@ $660.25 · 2025-08-13
VAN NAARDEN JACOB S.
Officer
$647,360
@ $647.36 · 2025-08-13
SULZBERGER GABRIELLE
Director
$75,018
@ $641.18 · 2025-08-12
FYRWALD J. ERIK
Director
$1.01M
@ $642.33 · 2025-08-12
RICKS DAVID A
Chief Executive Officer
$1.05M
@ $644.77 · 2025-08-12
SKOVRONSKY DANIEL
Officer
$634,405
@ $634.40 · 2025-08-12
JACKSON JAMERE
Director
$127,913
@ $639.57 · 2025-08-08
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
NKE
0
Buys (3M)
9
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $9.19M
HILL ELLIOTT
Chief Executive Officer
$1.00M
@ $42.27 · 2026-04-13
HILL ELLIOTT
Chief Executive Officer
$1.00M
@ $42.27 · 2026-04-13
COOK TIMOTHY D
Director
$1.06M
@ $42.43 · 2026-04-10
ROGERS JOHN W JR
Director
$173,360
@ $43.34 · 2026-04-09
SWAN ROBERT HOLMES
Director
$500,002
@ $42.44 · 2026-04-07
HILL ELLIOTT
Chief Executive Officer
$1.00M
@ $61.10 · 2025-12-29
SWAN ROBERT HOLMES
Director
$500,080
@ $57.54 · 2025-12-22
COOK TIMOTHY D
Director
$2.95M
@ $58.97 · 2025-12-22
KNUDSTORP JORGEN VIG
Director
$1.00M
@ $62.09 · 2025-11-07
SWAN ROBERT HOLMES
Director
$502,756
@ $58.46 · 2025-04-04
ROGERS JOHN W JR
Director
$191,624
@ $76.65 · 2024-12-27
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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LLY
2
Sells (3M)
40
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $3.63B
YUFFA ILYA
Officer
$2.88M
@ $1150.77 · 2026-06-10
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$15.75M
@ $995.36 · 2026-05-06
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$322.38M
@ $1103.48 · 2026-01-07
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$1.51M
@ $1085.01 · 2026-01-05
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$3.90M
@ $1085.04 · 2025-12-29
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$2.85M
@ $1085.17 · 2025-12-24
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$260,409
@ $1085.04 · 2025-12-23
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$161.08M
@ $1095.35 · 2025-11-25
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$17.34M
@ $1109.30 · 2025-11-25
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$152.06M
@ $1068.52 · 2025-11-24
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$111.50M
@ $1058.66 · 2025-11-21
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$39.07M
@ $1051.66 · 2025-11-20
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$176.10M
@ $1051.17 · 2025-11-19
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$62.31M
@ $1034.78 · 2025-11-18
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$10.19M
@ $1030.68 · 2025-11-17
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$183.80M
@ $1030.87 · 2025-11-14
ZAKROWSKI DONALD A
Officer
$1.01M
@ $1010.50 · 2025-11-13
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$48.02M
@ $1030.26 · 2025-11-13
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$308.41M
@ $1011.18 · 2025-11-12
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$279.35M
@ $986.64 · 2025-11-11
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$16.41M
@ $972.52 · 2025-11-10
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$167.09M
@ $933.26 · 2025-11-05
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$38.47M
@ $951.56 · 2025-11-05
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$479,038
@ $910.72 · 2025-11-04
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$266.65M
@ $888.83 · 2025-11-03
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$260.17M
@ $863.35 · 2025-10-31
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$3.16M
@ $863.24 · 2025-10-10
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$9.04M
@ $852.49 · 2025-10-09
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$86.23M
@ $850.27 · 2025-10-08
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$22.72M
@ $848.01 · 2025-10-07
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$137.04M
@ $850.22 · 2025-10-06
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$161.22M
@ $837.93 · 2025-10-03
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$92.50M
@ $821.55 · 2025-10-02
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$107.36M
@ $794.15 · 2025-10-01
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$177.29M
@ $821.47 · 2025-10-01
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$86.79M
@ $763.39 · 2025-09-30
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$18.06M
@ $763.09 · 2025-09-19
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$81.53M
@ $764.65 · 2025-09-18
ZAKROWSKI DONALD A
Officer
$734,930
@ $734.93 · 2025-08-28
YUFFA ILYA
Officer
$783,762
@ $627.01 · 2025-08-11
LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$225.42M
@ $805.07 · 2025-07-24
ZAKROWSKI DONALD A
Officer
$716,410
@ $716.41 · 2025-05-27
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
NKE
1
Sells (3M)
9
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $14.28M
MCCARTNEY PHILIP
Officer
$803,440
@ $46.18 · 2026-06-12
LEINWAND ROBERT
Officer
$565,021
@ $62.33 · 2026-02-12
PARKER MARK G
Officer and Director
$5.58M
@ $64.80 · 2025-11-14
HEINLE TREASURE
Officer
$306,461
@ $71.27 · 2025-10-06
LEINWAND ROBERT
Officer
$52,367
@ $75.13 · 2025-10-02
LEINWAND ROBERT
Officer
$76,058
@ $74.64 · 2025-09-05
PARKER MARK G
Officer and Director
$6.54M
@ $75.93 · 2025-08-14
MCCARTNEY PHILIP
Officer
$244,138
@ $77.21 · 2025-08-13
LEINWAND ROBERT
Officer
$123,152
@ $74.91 · 2025-08-05
PARKER MARK G
Officer and Director
$7.95M
@ $72.29 · 2025-07-16
PARKER MARK G
Officer and Director
$9.49M
@ $62.05 · 2025-05-14
NIELSEN JOHANNA
Officer
$7,978
@ $57.81 · 2025-04-24
PARKER MARK G
Officer and Director
$12.36M
@ $72.83 · 2025-02-14
LEINWAND ROBERT
Officer
$328,082
@ $72.81 · 2025-02-13
O NEILL HEIDI
Officer
$1.01M
@ $71.18 · 2025-02-11
PARKER MARK G
Officer and Director
$3.46M
@ $76.64 · 2024-11-14
PARKER MARK G
Officer and Director
$4.09M
@ $78.00 · 2024-08-14
FRIEND MATTHEW
Chief Financial Officer
$394,281
@ $72.88 · 2024-08-07
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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LLY
FearGreed
😐Neutral(57/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
NKE
FearGreed
😨Fear(34/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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LLY
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (57)
NKE
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (34)
View LLY Full AnalysisView NKE Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: LLY vs NKE

Is Eli Lilly and Company or NIKE, Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, LLY trades at a 100.0% margin of safety (intrinsic value $1529604356065 vs. price $1126), compared to NKE's 74.0% margin of safety (intrinsic $164 vs. $43).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Eli Lilly and Company or NIKE, Inc.?▼

LLY scores 73/100 (Wide moat), while NKE scores 71/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is Eli Lilly and Company in financial distress?▼

LLY's Altman Z-Score of 2.0 places it in the Grey zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. NKE scores 3.5 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Eli Lilly and Company or NIKE, Inc.?▼

LLY earns 37.8% ROIC versus NKE's 17.9%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, Eli Lilly and Company's or NIKE, Inc.'s?▼

LLY's dividend earns a safety score of 64/100 (Safe), compared to NKE's 34/100 (Unsafe). LLY has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.