IONS
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
IONS's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
LLY
Eli Lilly and Company
LLY has the edge over IONS overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
IONS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Weak | |
| Weak | |
| Strong |
IONS's balance sheet is currently strong, but its revenue, profitability and cash flow are under pressure.
LLY Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy |
LLY's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
IONS PE Valuation
IONS has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
LLY PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 27x | $845 | -41% |
| Forward | 30x | $1,427 | — |
| Current | 46x | $1,427 | — |
| Fair | 48x | $1,466 | +2.7% |
| Expensive | 85x | $2,612 | +83% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
LLY's PE is in its fair range at 46x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 30x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
IONS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Losses shrinking | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect IONS's losses to shrink, with revenue growing. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
LLY Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for LLY, with profitability improving.
IONS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$3.32 | -$1.63 |
| Q2 2026 | -$3.46 | -$1.62 |
| Q1 2026 | -$2.07 | +$0.92 |
| Q4 2025 | -$2.44 | +$0.60 |
| Q3 2025 | -$1.69 | +$0.75 |
| Q2 2025 | -$1.84 | +$0.68 |
| Q1 2025 | -$2.99 | -$0.32 |
| Q4 2024 | -$3.04 | -$0.48 |
IONS is still losing money, but less than at its worst: $3.32 per share over the past year, against $4.23 at its worst in late 2021.
LLY Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $46.82 | +52% |
| Q3 2026 | $30.81 | +51% |
| Q2 2026 | $29.80 | +95% |
| Q1 2026 | $28.15 | +129% |
| Q4 2025 | $22.95 | +96% |
| Q3 2025 | $20.44 | +121% |
| Q2 2025 | $15.30 | +88% |
| Q1 2025 | $12.29 | +81% |
| Q4 2024 | $11.71 | +102% |
LLY has the edge over IONS on earnings quality, reporting a profit while its opponent remains loss making.
IONS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $242.7M | +55% |
| Q2 2026 | $267.9M | -41% |
| Q1 2026 | $246.1M | +87% |
| Q4 2025 | $203.3M | -10% |
| Q3 2025 | $156.7M | +17% |
| Q2 2025 | $452M | +101% |
| Q1 2025 | $131.6M | +10% |
| Q4 2024 | $226.6M | -30% |
IONS's revenue is recovering but still below its 2019 peak: $243M last quarter, up 55% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -54% | +48 points |
| Q2 2026 | -38% | -69 points |
| Q1 2026 | -48% | +64 points |
| Q4 2025 | -105% | -57 points |
| Q3 2025 | -102% | +8.9 points |
| Q2 2025 | 31% | +60 points |
| Q1 2025 | -112% | +14 points |
| Q4 2024 | -49% | -47 points |
IONS's operating margin was −54% last quarter, up 48 points from the same quarter a year ago.
LLY Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $24.4B | +39% |
| Q2 2026 | $23B | +48% |
| Q1 2026 | $19.8B | +56% |
| Q4 2025 | $19.3B | +43% |
| Q3 2025 | $17.6B | +54% |
| Q2 2025 | $15.6B | +38% |
| Q1 2025 | $12.7B | +45% |
| Q4 2024 | $13.5B | +45% |
LLY has the edge over IONS on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 34% | -6.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 40% | -3.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 45% | +18 points |
| Q4 2025 | 43% | +5.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 41% | +27 points |
| Q2 2025 | 44% | +12 points |
| Q1 2025 | 27% | -1.8 points |
| Q4 2024 | 37% | +10 points |
LLY has the edge over IONS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
IONS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$192.1M | -$55.4M |
| Q2 2026 | $549.5M | +295% |
| Q1 2026 | -$814.6M | -$651.2M |
| Q4 2025 | -$159M | -$17.4M |
| Q3 2025 | -$136.7M | -$12.7M |
| Q2 2025 | $139M | +$265.1M |
| Q1 2025 | -$163.4M | -$8.9M |
| Q4 2024 | -$141.6M | -520% |
IONS has burned cash in most quarters: −$616M over the past year, against −$303M the year before.
LLY Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $8.2B | +22% |
| Q2 2026 | $7.8B | +458% |
| Q1 2026 | $3B | +1826% |
| Q4 2025 | $677.9M | -31% |
| Q3 2025 | $6.7B | +186% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.4B | +476% |
| Q1 2025 | $156.1M | -13% |
| Q4 2024 | $977.8M | +$2.4B |
LLY has the edge over IONS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
IONS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.5% | +786K shares |
| 1 year | +4% | +6.4M shares |
| 3 years | +16% | +22.9M shares |
| 5 years | +18% | +25.1M shares |
| Available history | +8.4% | +12.9M shares |
IONS has 166M diluted shares, up 4% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2021 | — |
| Q3 2021 | — |
| Q2 2021 | — |
| Q1 2021 | — |
| Q4 2020 | — |
| Q3 2020 | — |
| Q2 2020 | $52,000 |
| Q1 2020 | $90.6M |
LLY Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -300K shares |
| 1 year | -0.6% | -5.4M shares |
| 3 years | -0.7% | -6.4M shares |
| 5 years | -1.9% | -17.4M shares |
| Available history | -4.5% | -42.3M shares |
LLY has the edge over IONS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $377M |
| Q2 2026 | $1.6B |
| Q1 2026 | $2.4B |
| Q4 2025 | $1.5B |
| Q3 2025 | $708.1M |
| Q2 2025 | $692.2M |
| Q1 2025 | $1.2B |
| Q4 2024 | $2.1B |
LLY spent $5.8B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 26% from the year before.
IONS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2022 | -8.8x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2022 | -56.9x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2022 | -24.7x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2020 | -5.0x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2020 | -3.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2020 | -2.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2019 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
IONS has more cash than debt.
LLY Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.2x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q3 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 2.0x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 2.1x | Moderate |
LLY's net debt is about 1.2 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), about the same as a year ago.
IONS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 21.4 | Oversold |
| Stochastic | 3.6 | Oversold |
IONS's weekly RSI is 21 (oversold) and its Stochastic is 4 (oversold).
LLY Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 68.3 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 84.1 | Overbought |
LLY's weekly RSI is 68 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 84 (overbought).
IONS PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | IONS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | N/A | 26x | — |
IONS has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
LLY PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | LLY | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 46x | 26x | 79% above |
| PE % | 48 | 29 | 19 pts above |
LLY is trading at 46x earnings, a 79% premium to the Healthcare sector's median of 26x.
IONS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $41.2 | 34% below |
| 20 week MA | $51.2 | 47% below |
| 50 week MA | $66.9 | 59% below |
| 100 week MA | $55.6 | 51% below |
| 200 week MA | $49.0 | 44% below |
IONS is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 44% below its 200-week average.
LLY Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $1,279.4 | 12% above |
| 20 week MA | $1,218.8 | 17% above |
| 50 week MA | $1,102.2 | 29% above |
| 100 week MA | $954.1 | 50% above |
| 200 week MA | $797.5 | 79% above |
LLY has the edge over IONS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
IONS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $60.8 | $59.7 | -1.8% |
| 2021 | $59.7 | $32.7 | -45% |
| 2022 | $32.7 | $38.2 | +17% |
| 2023 | $38.2 | $50.6 | +33% |
| 2024 | $50.6 | $35.9 | -29% |
| 2025 | $35.9 | $79.9 | +123% |
| 2026 YTD | $79.9 | $27.3 | -66% |
IONS's yearly returns have swung widely, from +123% in 2025 to −45% in 2021. It's down 66% so far in 2026.
LLY Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $131.5 | $166.7 | +27% |
| 2021 | $166.7 | $273.1 | +64% |
| 2022 | $273.1 | $367.9 | +35% |
| 2023 | $367.9 | $582.9 | +58% |
| 2024 | $582.9 | $783.2 | +34% |
| 2025 | $783.2 | $1,077.8 | +38% |
| 2026 YTD | $1,077.8 | $1,427.3 | +32% |
LLY has the edge over IONS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.