Madison Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Medpace Holdings, Inc. $MEDP

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management reduced its Medpace stake by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, though the stock still made up 1.8% of its portfolio and remained its 11th-largest holding. The firm owned 277,757 shares valued at about $156 million at quarter-end.
• Medpace reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.28 versus the $3.74 consensus and revenue of $706.6 million, up 26.5% year over year. The company also reiterated FY2026 EPS guidance of 16.68 to 17.50.
• The stock faces legal and sentiment pressure, as multiple law firms have announced class-action notices tied to alleged misleading disclosures, including claims about cancellation rates and book-to-bill ratio. Analyst sentiment is mixed, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $467.08.

Madison Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in Medpace Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDP - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 277,757 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,872 shares during the period. Medpace accounts for 1.8% of Madison Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Madison Asset Management LLC owned about 0.99% of Medpace worth $156,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MEDP. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Medpace by 65.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,025,410 shares of the company's stock worth $518,170,000 after buying an additional 404,226 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in Medpace by 14.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 945,814 shares of the company's stock worth $296,853,000 after acquiring an additional 116,354 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its stake in Medpace by 12.0% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 584,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $300,679,000 after acquiring an additional 62,503 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Medpace by 18.9% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 537,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,313,000 after purchasing an additional 85,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its position in Medpace by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 328,879 shares of the company's stock valued at $184,715,000 after purchasing an additional 81,250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.98% of the company's stock.

Medpace Price Performance

Shares of MEDP opened at $419.75 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $466.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $528.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.99 billion, a PE ratio of 26.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.19. Medpace Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $284.48 and a one year high of $628.92.

Medpace (NASDAQ:MEDP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.74 by $0.54. The company had revenue of $706.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $697.82 million. Medpace had a return on equity of 120.89% and a net margin of 17.19%.The firm's revenue was up 26.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.67 earnings per share. Medpace has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.680-17.500 EPS. Analysts expect that Medpace Holdings, Inc. will post 17.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MEDP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Medpace from $555.00 to $539.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Medpace from $460.00 to $400.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Medpace from $522.00 to $484.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Leerink Partners cut their price objective on shares of Medpace from $575.00 to $485.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Medpace from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $467.08.

Key Medpace News

Here are the key news stories impacting Medpace this week:

• Positive Sentiment: No clearly positive company-specific catalysts were reported in the latest articles.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Pomerantz, Levi & Korsinsky, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman, The Schall Law Firm, The Gross Law Firm, Robbins Geller, Rosen, Faruqi & Faruqi, and BFA Law, issued class-action notices and deadline reminders for investors who purchased Medpace shares between April 22, 2025 and February 9, 2026.
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits allege Medpace and certain executives violated federal securities laws by making misleading disclosures, creating a significant legal and reputational risk that could weigh on the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One article specifically cited a prior 16% drop tied to allegations that Medpace understated cancellation rates and overstated its book-to-bill ratio, reinforcing concern that the stock may remain volatile while the litigation develops. Article Title

Insider Activity

In related news, President Jesse J. Geiger sold 31,707 shares of Medpace stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.30, for a total transaction of $14,436,197.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 15,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,829,500. This trade represents a 67.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 20.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Medpace Profile

Medpace Holdings, Inc NASDAQ: MEDP is a global contract research organization (CRO) that provides comprehensive clinical development services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies. The company supports clinical trials across all phases (I–IV), offering end-to-end solutions designed to streamline the development process and accelerate the delivery of new therapies to market.

Medpace's core service offerings include clinical pharmacology, regulatory affairs consulting, project management, central laboratory services, imaging, data management and biostatistics, pharmacovigilance and medical writing.

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