KBC Group NV Boosts Stock Holdings in IQVIA Holdings Inc. $IQV

Key Points

• KBC Group NV boosted its stake in IQVIA by 68.2% in Q4, buying an additional 315,883 shares to own 779,128 shares (about 0.46% of the company) valued at $175,624,000.
• IQVIA slightly beat quarterly estimates (EPS $3.42 vs. $3.40; revenue $4.36B vs. $4.24B), reported revenue up 10.3% year‑over‑year, and set FY2026 EPS guidance of 12.55–12.85; analysts hold a consensus "Buy" rating with an average target of $226.63.
• Institutional ownership is high at 89.62%, with several other funds also increasing positions (e.g., Brighton Jones +244.4%, Empowered Funds +102.1%), indicating strong institutional interest in the stock.

KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV - Free Report) by 68.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 779,128 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 315,883 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.46% of IQVIA worth $175,624,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in IQVIA by 244.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,575 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $703,000 after acquiring an additional 2,537 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of IQVIA by 102.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,728 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,715,000 after acquiring an additional 4,915 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of IQVIA during the 2nd quarter worth $514,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in IQVIA by 14.8% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 92,015 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $14,501,000 after purchasing an additional 11,845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in IQVIA by 5.4% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 22,731 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

IQVIA Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:IQV opened at $178.04 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $134.65 and a twelve month high of $247.04. The company has a market cap of $30.21 billion, a PE ratio of 22.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.39. The company's 50 day moving average is $171.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $204.07.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The medical research company reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.24 billion. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 30.50%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.550-12.850 EPS. Analysts anticipate that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.84 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on IQV shares. Mizuho set a $215.00 target price on shares of IQVIA in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of IQVIA from $270.00 to $255.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of IQVIA from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays upgraded IQVIA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on IQVIA from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $226.63.

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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