Icon Plc (NASDAQ:ICLR) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Sixteen brokerages have an average “Hold” rating on Icon, with seven buys, seven holds and two sells. The average 12-month price target is $168.73, near the stock’s $165.53 opening price.
• Quarterly results modestly exceeded consensus: Icon reported adjusted EPS of $2.56 and revenue of approximately $2.06 billion, up 2.3% year over year and above estimates. However, EPS declined from $3.26 in the prior-year quarter, highlighting profitability and margin concerns.
• Future demand and strategic growth remain key positives: Strong bookings and net book-to-bill improved revenue visibility, while a multiyear Anthropic collaboration aims to expand AI use in clinical trials. Institutional investors own 95.61% of the company’s shares.

Shares of Icon Plc (NASDAQ:ICLR - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $168.7333.

Several brokerages have commented on ICLR. Leerink Partners set a $145.00 price target on shares of Icon in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Icon from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Icon from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Icon from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Icon from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th.

Icon Stock Down 7.1%

ICLR stock opened at $165.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Icon has a fifty-two week low of $66.57 and a fifty-two week high of $203.91. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $155.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.43. The stock has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a PE ratio of 38.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 1.22.

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The medical research company reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. Icon had a net margin of 3.99% and a return on equity of 8.04%. Icon's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.26 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Icon will post 9.43 EPS for the current year.

Icon News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Icon this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue rose 2.3% year over year to approximately $2.06 billion, exceeding the roughly $2.0 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $2.56 was slightly above one analyst consensus of $2.55. Icon PLC Q2 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Management reported a strong surge in bookings and net book-to-bill, signaling healthy demand for ICON’s clinical research services and supporting future revenue visibility. ICON Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: ICON announced a multiyear collaboration with Anthropic to expand artificial intelligence across clinical trials. The initiative could improve trial efficiency and strengthen the company’s long-term competitive position, although financial benefits are likely to take time. ICON Announces Anthropic Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks upgraded ICON from “Strong Sell” to “Hold,” removing a particularly bearish rating but stopping short of signaling confidence in near-term upside. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: EPS fell from $3.26 in the prior-year quarter to $2.56, while earnings were reported as a slight miss against Zacks’ $2.57 estimate. Commentary around margin pressures raises concerns that strong bookings are not yet translating into comparable profit growth. ICON Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Icon

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ICLR. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in shares of Icon during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. EFG International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Icon in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Icon in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Icon by 21.4% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 391 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Icon during the third quarter worth approximately $71,000. Institutional investors own 95.61% of the company's stock.

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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