{"id":320384,"date":"2026-02-04T20:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T20:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/320384\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T20:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T20:16:11","slug":"eli-lilly-soared-by-39-in-2025-but-heres-another-healthcare-stock-to-buy-in-2026-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/320384\/","title":{"rendered":"Eli Lilly Soared by 39% in 2025, but Here’s Another Healthcare Stock to Buy in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eli Lilly<\/strong>‘s (NYSE: LLY) share price jumped 39% in 2025, driven by investors eager to benefit from the success of the company’s GLP-1 drugs, Mounjaro (for diabetes) and Zepbound (for weight loss). That said, the company’s position at the top of the GLP-1 heap isn’t guaranteed, with Novo Nordisk<\/strong> (NYSE: NVO) beating Eli Lilly to market with a GLP-1 pill. If you are looking at Eli Lilly, you might want to consider a pharmaceutical stock like Pfizer<\/strong> (NYSE: PFE), which is relatively unloved right now, instead. Here’s why.<\/p>\n

The pharmaceutical sector is highly competitive and driven by innovation. GLP-1 weight loss drugs are a perfect example<\/a>. Novo Nordisk was first to market with a GLP-1 shot. Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 shots were better received by the market and quickly became the leading options. In early 2026, however, Novo Nordisk was first to market with a GLP-1 pill, which could give it a chance to win back market share. Eli Lilly plans to bring out its own pill, so Novo Nordisk’s advantage could be short-lived.<\/p>\n

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\"Two Image source: Getty Images. <\/p>\n

That said, after a strong price advance driven by the excitement around GLP-1 drugs, Eli Lilly’s valuation seems stretched. The stock’s price-to-earnings ratio is a lofty 50. For comparison, the S&P 500<\/strong> index, which is trading near all-time highs, has a P\/E of 28. If valuation matters to you<\/a>, you’ll probably be better off with a competitor like Pfizer, which is relatively unloved.<\/p>\n

Pfizer’s internally developed GLP-1 drug didn’t pan out and had to be abandoned. That’s bad and helps explain why investors have been less than positive about the company’s future, noting that its P\/E ratio is just 15. However, Pfizer has a long and successful history in the drug sector. It may not be the most innovative company right now, but history suggests it will, eventually, develop new and exciting blockbuster drugs.<\/p>\n

Notably, its GLP-1 setback was quickly followed up by the acquisition of a company with a promising GLP-1 pipeline and a partnership to distribute a Chinese company’s GLP-1 pill if it is approved. In other words, Pfizer isn’t giving up; it is adjusting just like it always has.<\/p>\n

If you don’t mind a turnaround story, Pfizer’s relatively attractive valuation could be a much better option than richly priced Eli Lilly. And it is important to remember that new drugs are only given a time-limited patent to protect them. So, by design, Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 opportunity will not last forever.<\/p>\n

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Reuben Gregg Brewer<\/a> has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Eli Lilly Soared by 39% in 2025, but Here’s Another Healthcare Stock to Buy in 2026<\/a> was originally published by The Motley Fool<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eli Lilly‘s (NYSE: LLY) share price jumped 39% in 2025, driven by investors eager to benefit from the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[275],"tags":[18,1465,135,475,474,19,17,6526,213,4765],"class_list":{"0":"post-320384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-eli-lilly","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-health-care","12":"tag-healthcare","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-novo-nordisk","16":"tag-nyse","17":"tag-pfizer"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116014205001316387","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}