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Compare Eli Lilly and Pfizer on profitability.

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Report

Profitability

LLY and PFE present starkly divergent profitability trajectories over the 2022–2025 period. LLY has been on a steep growth curve, with revenues rising from $28.5B in FY2022 [LLY:Q0] to $65.2B in FY2025 [LLY:Q3], while net income—after dipping to $5.2B in FY2023 [LLY:Q5] before rebounding sharply—reached $20.6B in FY2025 [LLY:Q7], implying a net margin of roughly 32%, driven largely by the commercial success of its GLP-1 and diabetes franchises. PFE, by contrast, experienced a sharp post-COVID normalization: revenues collapsed from a pandemic-peak $101.2B in FY2022 to $59.6B in FY2023 [PFE:Q1] before edging back up to approximately $63.6B in FY2024 [PFE:Q2] and then contracting modestly to approximately $62.6B in FY2025 [PFE:Q3]—a mild year-over-year decline rather than a plateau. Net income followed a similarly volatile path, cratering from $31.4B in FY2022 to just $2.1B in FY2023 [PFE:Q5] before partially recovering to $8.0B in FY2024 [PFE:Q6] and $7.8B in FY2025 [PFE:Q7], yielding a net margin of roughly 12%—well below LLY's. The contrast is clear: LLY is in an accelerating growth phase with expanding margins, while PFE is in a post-peak normalization phase with structurally lower profitability relative to its 2022 highs.

Note: PFE revenue and net income figures cited in the comparison are drawn from the analytical inputs but carry limited independent citation grounding in the underlying source record; the PFE figures should be treated with corresponding caution.

LLY: LLY has delivered exceptional profitability growth, with revenues more than doubling from $28.5B in FY2022 [LLY:Q0] to $65.2B in FY2025 [LLY:Q3]. Net income followed a non-linear path—expanding from $6.2B in FY2022 [LLY:Q4], dipping to $5.2B in FY2023 [LLY:Q5], then rebounding sharply to $20.6B in FY2025 [LLY:Q7]—reflecting a net margin of approximately 32% that underscores the high-value, high-demand nature of its GLP-1 and diabetes portfolio.

PFE: PFE's profitability has been heavily distorted by the COVID-19 product cycle: the FY2022 net income of $31.4B was an anomaly driven by Paxlovid and vaccine revenues that have since normalized sharply. Net income collapsed to just $2.1B in FY2023 [PFE:Q5] as those revenues fell away, before partially recovering to $8.0B in FY2024 [PFE:Q6] and $7.8B in FY2025 [PFE:Q7]. With revenues edging down from roughly $63.6B in FY2024 [PFE:Q2] to $62.6B in FY2025 [PFE:Q3], PFE's current ~12% net margin reflects a business still working through the post-pandemic reset and the integration of the Seagen acquisition.


Critic flags (3)

weakly_supportedprofitability
revenues have since stabilized around $62–63B [PFE:Q2][PFE:Q3]
PFE FY2024 revenue was $63.627B and FY2025 was $62.579B — a year-over-year decline of ~$1.05B (~1.6%). This is a mild contraction, not stabilization. The '$62–63B' range also understates FY2024 at $63.6B.
weakly_supportedprofitability
net income surged from $6.2B [LLY:Q4] to $20.6B [LLY:Q7]
While the endpoints are accurate, the narrative implies a continuous upward surge. In reality, LLY net income dipped to $5.240B in FY2023 before recovering strongly. Omitting the FY2023 trough makes the trajectory appear smoother and more linear than the data supports.
weakly_supportedprofitability
Citations: quant:LLY:us-gaap:Revenues [×4], quant:LLY:us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss [×2] — no PFE citations listed
All six citations reference LLY sources only. PFE figures ($101.2B, $59.6B, $62–63B revenues; $31.4B, $2.1B, $8.0B, $7.8B net income) are central to the comparative analysis but carry no citations, leaving the entire PFE half of the comparison ungrounded in the citation record.

Cross-axis notes

The profitability axis omits intermediate-year data points (LLY FY2023 net income dip to $5.24B, LLY FY2024 net income of $10.59B) that would materially affect interpretation of the growth trajectory's linearity and timing — relevant if other axes (e.g., R&D spend, capital allocation) reference the same period.
PFE's FY2025 revenue ($62.579B) is slightly below FY2024 ($63.627B), suggesting ongoing mild contraction rather than stabilization — this nuance could affect conclusions drawn in other axes such as capital allocation or pipeline investment capacity.

Citations (16)

quant LLY FY2022
us-gaap:Revenues = $28.54B
quant LLY FY2023
us-gaap:Revenues = $34.12B
quant LLY FY2024
us-gaap:Revenues = $45.04B
quant LLY FY2025
us-gaap:Revenues = $65.18B
quant LLY FY2022
us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss = $6.24B
quant LLY FY2023
us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss = $5.24B
quant LLY FY2024
us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss = $10.59B
quant LLY FY2025
us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss = $20.64B
quant PFE FY2022
us-gaap:Revenues = $101.17B
quant PFE FY2023
us-gaap:Revenues = $59.55B
quant PFE FY2024
us-gaap:Revenues = $63.63B
quant PFE FY2025
us-gaap:Revenues = $62.58B
quant PFE FY2022
us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss = $31.37B
quant PFE FY2023
us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss = $2.12B
quant PFE FY2024
us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss = $8.03B
quant PFE FY2025
us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss = $7.77B