Heartland Advisors Inc. Acquires 8,008 Shares of Icon Plc $ICLR

Key Points

• Heartland Advisors Inc. nearly doubled its stake in Icon Plc during the first quarter, buying 8,008 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 16,066 shares worth about $1.78 million.
• Other institutional investors also made modest moves in Icon, and overall institutional ownership stands at 95.61% of the company’s stock.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but generally positive: analysts currently rate Icon with an average "Hold" and an average price target of $173.19, while several firms recently raised their targets.

Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Icon Plc (NASDAQ:ICLR - Free Report) by 99.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,066 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 8,008 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Icon were worth $1,778,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Icon by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 4,932 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $899,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Icon by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 541 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Icon by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 643 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Icon by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,479 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Icon by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 23,942 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,363,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.61% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on ICLR shares. DA Davidson set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Icon in a research note on Monday, June 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Icon from $160.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Icon in a report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup upped their price target on Icon from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Icon from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Icon has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $173.19.

Icon Price Performance

NASDAQ:ICLR opened at $170.00 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Icon Plc has a twelve month low of $66.57 and a twelve month high of $211.00. The company has a market cap of $13.02 billion, a PE ratio of 30.25, a P/E/G ratio of 8.34 and a beta of 1.22. The company's 50 day moving average is $146.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.69.

Icon Company Profile

Icon plc NASDAQ: ICLR is a global provider of outsourced drug development and clinical research services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The company partners with clients at all stages of the product life cycle, offering expertise in protocol design, trial execution and regulatory compliance across a broad range of therapeutic areas.

Icon's service portfolio encompasses clinical trial management, data management and biostatistics, medical imaging, pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring, laboratory sciences and specialized analytical solutions.

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