Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) is a highly successful business, and as with any big corporate success story, some critics will offer a counter-narrative of stagnation and decay lurking in the background. However, frequently enough, such bearish overtures are missing key pieces of context, or interpreting important facts incorrectly.

In Eli Lilly's case, there are (at least) three misleading tidbits that investors should know about and understand. Let's dive in and analyze why each of these facts are less important than what the stock's detractors assume so that you'll have the full story when it's time to evaluate whether to invest.

It's easy to get the idea that Eli Lilly is an ailing corporate giant that's over-leveraged and increasingly hobbled by its debt load. As of the third quarter of 2023, it owed over $20 billion in debt, its highest sum ever. More than $2 billion of that sum will be due within the next 12 months. What's more, over the trailing-12-month period, it took out an additional $4 billion in long-term debt, while on a net basis repaying nothing other than $146 million of its short-term borrowing.

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Source Fool.com