IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $278.00 and last traded at $278.3740, with a volume of 21,368 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $276.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IQV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of IQVIA from $252.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of IQVIA from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of IQVIA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 12th. TD Cowen increased their price target on IQVIA from $233.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $240.00 price objective on IQVIA in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.00.

IQVIA Stock Up 0.9%

The company has a market cap of $45.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.17. 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’s fifty day moving average is $262.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $215.24.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The medical research company reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.03 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $4.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. IQVIA had a return on equity of 30.25% and a net margin of 8.10%. IQVIA’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.81 earnings per share. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.800-13.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 11.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other IQVIA news, insider W. Richard Staub sold 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.68, for a total value of $1,279,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,097,436.16. This represents a 29.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bhavik Patel sold 1,855 shares of IQVIA stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.27, for a total transaction of $436,425.85. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,348 shares in the company, valued at approximately $317,143.96. This represents a 57.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 15,581 shares of company stock valued at $3,796,021 over the last 90 days. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IQVIA

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. NBT Bank N.A. bought a new position in IQVIA in the 3rd quarter valued at $602,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of IQVIA in the third quarter worth $156,000. Arvest Investments Inc. boosted its stake in IQVIA by 3.4% during the third quarter. Arvest Investments Inc. now owns 6,747 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,814,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in IQVIA by 7.6% during the third quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 4,884 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,313,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in IQVIA by 12.9% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,348 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 89.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

IQVIA Company Profile

IQVIA Holdings Inc is a global provider of technology, analytics and contract research services for the life sciences industry. The company helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device organizations develop, commercialize and improve products by combining healthcare data with advanced analytics, consulting and technology-enabled services.

Its offerings include clinical research and trial management, real-world evidence, healthcare data and analytics, regulatory and safety services, technology platforms, and commercial solutions.