Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Increases Position in IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its stake in shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV - Free Report) by 63.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,860 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 15,127 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s holdings in IQVIA were worth $7,636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in IQVIA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $336,041,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in IQVIA in the 4th quarter valued at $236,120,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of IQVIA by 396.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,134,737 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $222,987,000 after purchasing an additional 905,960 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in IQVIA by 53.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,590,260 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $509,012,000 after acquiring an additional 902,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in IQVIA by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,282,024 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $841,461,000 after purchasing an additional 712,958 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. HSBC cut IQVIA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $260.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on IQVIA from $240.00 to $232.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho lowered their price target on IQVIA from $242.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on IQVIA from $212.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down from $235.00) on shares of IQVIA in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $237.62.

IQVIA Price Performance

NYSE IQV traded down $4.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $151.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,841,714 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,435,188. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $26.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.46. The company's 50-day moving average is $169.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.46. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.97 and a fifty-two week high of $252.88.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.11 by ($0.21). IQVIA had a return on equity of 28.81% and a net margin of 8.91%. Analysts forecast that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.84 EPS for the current year.

IQVIA Profile

IQVIA Holdings Inc engages in the provision of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Technology & Analytics Solutions, Research & Development Solutions, and Contract Sales & Medical Solutions.