IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded IQVIA from “Buy” to “Hold,” though the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $241.88.
• IQVIA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.15 in earnings per share and $4.37 billion in revenue, with revenue rising 8.7% year over year.
• The company authorized a $2 billion share-repurchase program, while insiders sold 12,913 shares worth about $3.1 million over the past 90 days.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

IQV has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen upped their target price on IQVIA from $233.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on IQVIA from $225.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on IQVIA from $252.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $200.00 target price (down from $225.00) on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $240.00 price target on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, IQVIA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $241.88.

IQVIA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IQV opened at $260.48 on Friday. IQVIA has a one year low of $154.50 and a one year high of $265.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $42.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.32, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $222.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $189.62.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The medical research company reported $3.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.03 by $0.12. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The firm had revenue of $4.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.81 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.800-13.000 EPS. Research analysts predict that IQVIA will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

IQVIA announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan 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 purchase up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other IQVIA news, insider Eric Sherbet sold 5,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $1,245,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 20,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,232,110.84. This trade represents a 19.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider W Richard Staub sold 5,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.68, for a total transaction of $1,279,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,312 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,097,436.16. This represents a 29.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 12,913 shares of company stock worth $3,098,793 in the last 90 days. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of IQVIA

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of IQV. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 244.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,575 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $703,000 after buying an additional 2,537 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of IQVIA by 102.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,728 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,715,000 after acquiring an additional 4,915 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of IQVIA during the 2nd quarter valued at $514,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in IQVIA by 14.8% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 92,015 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $14,501,000 after acquiring an additional 11,845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in IQVIA by 5.4% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 22,731 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,582,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About IQVIA

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source