What if I had invested in Eli Lilly
Every lump sum scenario for Eli Lilly, start year by start year, using real prices and each month's exchange rate.
Since December 2003, Eli Lilly (a stock listed on Wall Street) grew 20-fold in dollar terms: an annualized return of +14.1% over nearly 23 years. The price sits close to its highest monthly close of the period ($1,436 in November 2026); the low, $29.38, dates back to February 2009, split-adjusted. A lump sum invested in any month since December 2003 would be showing a gain today in 100% of cases.
Data: Yahoo Finance monthly closing prices, up to date as of (latest update November 5, 2026) MethodAuthor: Yann Avondo
If I had invested $1,000 as a lump sum in Eli Lilly in January 2016, today I would have $17,043
Over the same period
Worst moment: −23.7% between August 2024 and August 2025. To get this result, you had to hold on without selling.
Eli Lilly at a glance
Eli Lilly is a US drugmaker focused on diabetes, oncology and, more recently, obesity treatments, which pushed its market value to the top of the global pharma sector.
Its worst fall, 60.3% in dollar terms between February 2004 and February 2009, was only erased in May 2015, 11 years and 3 months after the peak. Its best calendar year was 2021 (+63.6%), its worst 2008 (−24.6%); in all, 15 up years out of 22. Against the MSCI World, this calculator's yardstick (+7.0% a year in dollar terms over the same period), Eli Lilly left it far behind.
$1,000 invested in Eli Lilly, by start year
Bought in January, valued at the latest price. Click a year for the full story.
| Start | Worth today | Multiple | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,860 | ×1.86 | +38.2% | |
| $2,464 | ×2.46 | +36.2% | |
| $3,925 | ×3.93 | +41.8% | |
| $5,199 | ×5.2 | +39.8% | |
| $8,505 | ×8.51 | +43.6% | |
| $10,926 | ×11 | +41.3% | |
| $12,410 | ×12 | +37.5% | |
| $17,003 | ×17 | +37.4% | |
| $19,525 | ×20 | +34.9% | |
| $17,043 | ×17 | +29.7% | |
| $20,815 | ×21 | +29.0% | |
| $28,158 | ×28 | +29.5% | |
| $29,117 | ×29 | +27.4% | |
| $34,553 | ×35 | +26.8% | |
| $40,983 | ×41 | +26.3% | |
| $40,214 | ×40 | +24.4% | |
| $35,660 | ×36 | +22.1% | |
| $26,897 | ×27 | +19.0% | |
| $27,563 | ×28 | +18.1% | |
| $25,376 | ×25 | +16.7% | |
| $25,305 | ×25 | +15.9% | |
| $20,419 | ×20 | +14.1% |
Lump sum or DCA in Eli Lilly?
Since January 2016, investing in Eli Lilly all at once (lump sum) multiplied the stake by ×17, +29.7% a year. Investing every month (DCA) multiplied the total contributions by ×8.64, an annual return (IRR) of +36.6%.
Here DCA did better: spreading the purchases avoided putting all the money in at the wrong time.
Frequently asked questions
How much would $1,000 invested in Eli Lilly 10 years ago be worth today?
$1,000 invested in Eli Lilly in January 2016 would be worth about $17,043 today, an average annual return of +29.7% (price only, in the displayed currency).
What if I had invested $1,000 in Eli Lilly in 2015?
Invested in January 2015, $1,000 would be worth about $20,815 today, +29.0% a year on average.
What if I had invested $1,000 in Eli Lilly in 2020?
Invested in January 2020, $1,000 would be worth about $10,926 today, +41.3% a year on average.
What was the best year to invest in Eli Lilly?
Among the start years covered, 2011 gave the best result: $1,000 would have become $40,983. The weakest was 2025, worth $1,860 today. This ranking is only known with hindsight.
Are dividends included?
By default, the calculation follows the market price only. The "Reinvest dividends" option uses the adjusted price, which includes dividends paid and stock splits: the closest measure of what an investor actually earned.
Are exchange rates taken into account?
Yes. Eli Lilly trades in its own currency; every purchase and valuation is converted at that month's exchange rate. A US asset can gain in dollars and less in euros if the dollar weakened.
Are fees and taxes included?
No: results are before brokerage fees, fund fees and taxes. Your net result depends on the account you invest through.
Compare with
Before you have regrets
What this calculation does not tell you.
Hindsight bias
Picking Nvidia or Bitcoin today means picking known winners. Back then, nothing set them apart from hundreds of assets that went nowhere or vanished.
Holding on was the real test
The result assumes you never sold, including through the drawdowns shown above. Very few investors actually do.
The broad market, no bet required
The MSCI World never makes headlines, but it does not require guessing the winner. It is the fairest yardstick for any pick.
Method: past performance, computed from split-adjusted monthly closing prices (intra-month lows are smoothed out). Converted at each month’s exchange rate; no fees, no taxes. The MSCI World benchmark is the price index, excluding dividends. Sources: Yahoo Finance (prices, exchange rates, US Treasury bills), Eurostat (inflation), published regulated rates (Livret A). Not investment advice. NokxiHub.