16,979 Shares in IQVIA Holdings Inc. $IQV Purchased by Balefire LLC

Key Points

• Balefire LLC acquired 16,979 shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. in the second quarter, valued at approximately $2.68 million, marking a significant new investment in the company.
• Multiple hedge funds increased their stakes in IQVIA, with notable increases including a 244.4% rise by Brighton Jones LLC and a 633.1% increase by Tidal Investments LLC in the fourth quarter.
• Wall Street analysts are optimistic about IQVIA, with an average target price of $229.64 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from 18 analysts.

Balefire LLC bought a new stake in shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 16,979 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $2,676,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of IQVIA during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in shares of IQVIA by 436.7% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 161 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of IQVIA by 295.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 174 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. AllSquare Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of IQVIA during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of IQVIA by 66.1% during the 1st quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 191 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on IQVIA from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on IQVIA from $159.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial increased their target price on IQVIA from $209.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays increased their price target on IQVIA from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $229.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Keriann Cherofsky sold 549 shares of IQVIA stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.53, for a total transaction of $105,149.97. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $557,352.30. This trade represents a 15.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Eric Sherbet sold 5,800 shares of IQVIA stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.05, for a total value of $1,102,290.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 27,178 shares in the company, valued at $5,165,178.90. This trade represents a 17.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

IQVIA Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of IQV stock traded down $2.91 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $187.29. The company had a trading volume of 2,104,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,124,593. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $134.65 and a 12 month high of $245.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.45, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.31. The company has a market cap of $31.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.32.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.96 billion. IQVIA had a return on equity of 30.05% and a net margin of 7.88%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.64 earnings per share. IQVIA has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.750-12.050 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

IQVIA Company 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.