IQVIA Holdings Inc. $IQV Shares Bought by Stephens Inc. AR

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in IQVIA by 42.4% in the first quarter, buying 12,117 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 40,725 shares worth about $6.95 million.
• IQVIA reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.90 versus $2.83 expected and revenue of $4.15 billion, up 8.4% year over year. The company also set FY 2026 guidance at $12.65–$12.95 EPS.
• The company authorized a $2 billion share repurchase program, which could allow it to buy back up to 6.8% of its shares, while analysts overall maintain a Moderate Buy rating with a consensus price target of $223.88.

Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV - Free Report) by 42.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,725 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,117 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in IQVIA were worth $6,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA grew its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA now owns 5,724 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $976,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in IQVIA by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,589 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in IQVIA by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 4,322 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. lifted its stake in IQVIA by 20.5% during the first quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 72,175 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $12,309,000 after buying an additional 12,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 592.6% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 31,124 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $5,308,000 after buying an additional 26,630 shares during the period. 89.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

IQVIA Stock Performance

IQV stock traded up $1.57 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $207.54. 156,254 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,854,060. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.50 and a twelve month high of $247.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $177.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $188.95.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical research company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.07. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.33% and a return on equity of 30.50%. The business had revenue of $4.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.70 earnings per share. IQVIA's revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.650-12.950 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current year.

IQVIA declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IQV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen raised shares of IQVIA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $174.00 to $213.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded IQVIA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. HSBC restated a "buy" rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of IQVIA from $230.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $223.88.

IQVIA Company Profile

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.

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