IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on IQV. Weiss Ratings raised shares of IQVIA from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on IQVIA from $252.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on IQVIA from $221.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on IQVIA from $220.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, IQVIA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $241.88.

IQVIA Stock Performance

NYSE:IQV opened at $233.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.18. IQVIA has a fifty-two week low of $154.50 and a fifty-two week high of $251.36. The company has a fifty day moving average of $196.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.76.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The medical research company reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.03 by $0.12. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The business had revenue of $4.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.800-13.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that IQVIA will post 11.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

IQVIA declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical research company to repurchase up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Keriann Cherofsky sold 558 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.21, for a total transaction of $136,827.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $732,932.69. This trade represents a 15.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric Sherbet sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.16, for a total value of $1,245,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 20,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,232,110.84. The trade was a 19.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IQVIA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in IQVIA in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of IQVIA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in IQVIA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.62% of the company’s stock.

IQVIA Company Profile

IQVIA (NYSE: IQV) is a global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions and contract research services to the life sciences industry. The company combines clinical research capabilities with large-scale health data and analytics to support drug development, regulatory reporting, commercial strategy and real?world evidence generation. IQVIA traces its current form to the combination of Quintiles and IMS Health announced in 2016 and subsequently rebranded as IQVIA, bringing together long-established clinical research operations and extensive healthcare information assets.

IQVIA’s principal activities include outsourced clinical development services (acting as a contract research organization for phases I–IV), real?world evidence and observational research, regulatory and safety services, and a suite of technology platforms that enable data integration, analytics and operational management.