What was Eli Lilly's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2015?

Eli Lilly's CAGR from 2015 to September 2026 was 29.4% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Eli Lilly significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Eli Lilly compare to the S&P 500 since 2015?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2015 would be worth approximately $4,565.82 today. Eli Lilly outperformed the index by $16,144.25 — 4.54x the return of the S&P 500.

How much of the Eli Lilly gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $19,710.07 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $17,753.56. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $16,019.07, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Eli Lilly since 2015?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2015, the real purchasing-power value of the Eli Lilly position is approximately $15,056.09 in 2015 dollars. Even after inflation, this is an extraordinary real return — inflation only marginally reduces gains of this magnitude.

How did Eli Lilly perform in 2015?

Eli Lilly rose 21% during 2015, from $57.20 at the start of the year to $69.46 at the start of 2016.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Eli Lilly in 2015?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$20,710

+$19,710 profit20.7x29.4% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $4,566

Its shares paid about $116.96 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$17,754

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$20,710.07

Total Profit

$19,710.07

Multiplier

20.7x

CAGR

29.4%

Max Drawdown

-23.1%

Inflation-Adjusted

$15,056.09

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2015 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Eli Lilly	$20,710.07	20.7x
S&P 500	$4,565.82	4.57x
Gold	$3,548.31	3.55x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,261.85	1.26x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 17.48 shares you'd own now paid about $116.96 in dividends (about $9.75 a month). That's 12% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $16,908; reinvested dividends added the other $3,802, 19% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2015

In December 2015, the FDA approved Basaglar, a long-acting insulin from Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim. prnewswire.com
In 2015, a gallon of gas averaged $2.43, a movie ticket averaged $8.43 and the new iPhone 6s started at $649 without a contract. eia.gov fonearena.com thewrap.com
During 2015 itself, Eli Lilly rose 21%, #18 of the 82 investments we track. The best was Netflix (+121%); the worst was Chipotle (−34%). Full 2015 results →

$1,000 in Eli Lilly, year by year

Of the 82 investments we track that were available at the start of 2015, Eli Lilly ranks #10 by growth to today — just behind Tesla and ahead of Palo Alto Networks. See the full 2015 ranking →

Eli Lilly started 2015 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 43% in 2014. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Today's $20,710 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 10 of the 11 full years since. It moved ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2019 and has stayed ahead since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Aug 2024 ($16,551) to Aug 2025 ($12,727), a drop of 23%.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2015	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2016	$1,214	+21%	$1,014
Start of 2017	$1,123	−7.6%	$1,135
Start of 2018	$1,308	+16%	$1,383
Start of 2019	$1,818	+39%	$1,322
Start of 2020	$2,140	+18%	$1,739
Start of 2021	$2,733	+28%	$2,058
Start of 2022	$4,555	+67%	$2,649
Start of 2023	$6,201	+36%	$2,170
Start of 2024	$10,161	+64%	$2,740
Start of 2025	$13,437	+32%	$3,425
Start of 2026	$18,797	+40%	$4,038
Today	$20,710	+10%	$4,566

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2015, Eli Lilly was priced at $57.20 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 17.48 shares. Eli Lilly makes medicines including diabetes and weight-loss drugs.

Measured from one January to the next, Eli Lilly's best year since then was 2021 (+67%) and its worst was 2016 (−7.6%).

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Eli Lilly at the start of 2015 would be worth approximately $20,710.07 today — a 20.7x return ($19,710.07 profit) over 11.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2015 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2015 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.