IQVIA Holdings Inc. $IQV Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in IQVIA by 49.3% in the first quarter, selling 220,525 shares and leaving it with 226,794 shares worth about $38.7 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on IQVIA, with 14 Buy ratings and 3 Hold ratings; the consensus view is Moderate Buy and the average price target is $224.82.
• IQVIA beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $2.90 on revenue of $4.15 billion, and its board also approved a $2 billion stock buyback program.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its holdings in IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV - Free Report) by 49.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 226,794 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 220,525 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.13% of IQVIA worth $38,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in IQVIA in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in IQVIA during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in IQVIA in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.62% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on IQV. Weiss Ratings cut shares of IQVIA from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. HSBC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of IQVIA in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of IQVIA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. 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 note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $240.00 price target on IQVIA in a research note on Thursday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $224.82.

IQVIA Stock Performance

Shares of IQVIA stock opened at $208.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.50 and a 52 week high of $247.04. The firm's 50 day moving average is $181.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.20.

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 the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $4.10 billion. The company's revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.650-12.950 EPS. Research analysts forecast that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 11.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

IQVIA declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical research company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

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