Icon Plc $ICLR Shares Bought by Legal & General Group Plc

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Icon Plc by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 10,609 additional shares and lifting its holding to 147,715 shares worth about $26.9 million.
• Icon reported quarterly EPS of $2.52, missing analyst expectations, but revenue of $2.11 billion topped estimates and rose 2.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: several firms raised price targets, but Icon also disclosed a material weakness in internal controls and cut FY2026 EPS guidance to $10.00–$11.00, below Wall Street expectations.

Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Icon Plc (NASDAQ:ICLR - Free Report) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 147,715 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,609 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.18% of Icon worth $26,917,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new position in shares of Icon during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Icon during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Icon during the third quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Icon during the third quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Icon by 11.5% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 541 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.61% of the company's stock.

Icon Price Performance

NASDAQ:ICLR opened at $136.07 on Monday. Icon Plc has a 52 week low of $66.57 and a 52 week high of $211.00. The stock's fifty day moving average is $113.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.35. The company has a market capitalization of $10.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 3rd. The medical research company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.95 by ($0.43). The business had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.99 billion. Icon had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 5.98%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Icon Plc will post 11.53 EPS for the current year.

Icon News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Icon this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its target on Icon Plc to $160 from $130 and kept an outperform rating, suggesting meaningful upside potential. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays lifted its price target to $150 from $120, with an equal weight rating, signaling improved expectations for the stock. Tickerreport.com
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup increased its target to $140 from $120, implying modest upside from current levels, though it kept a neutral stance. Tickerreport.com
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its target to $130 from $120 but kept a neutral rating, reflecting a more cautious view than some peers. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Icon reported fourth-quarter earnings that missed estimates, but revenue came in above expectations and the company highlighted strong bookings despite ongoing revenue challenges. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Icon disclosed a material weakness in internal controls, which raises concerns about financial reporting quality and potential regulatory risk. TipRanks
• Negative Sentiment: The company also cut FY 2026 EPS guidance to $10.00-$11.00, below Wall Street expectations, which likely pressured the stock after earnings. Financial News

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ICLR. Leerink Partners set a $145.00 target price on Icon in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler lowered Icon to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Icon in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research lowered Icon from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $100.00 price target on Icon and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Icon currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $153.00.

About Icon

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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