IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on IQVIA, with 13 buy ratings, three holds and one strong-buy rating. The average 12-month price target is approximately $241.88, though several firms recently raised their targets.
• IQVIA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.15 in EPS versus the $3.03 consensus and $4.37 billion in revenue, up 8.7% year over year. The company also issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $12.80–$13.00.
• The company authorized a $2 billion share-repurchase program, while institutional investors own 89.62% of outstanding shares. Insiders sold 12,913 shares worth about $3.10 million over the past 90 days.

Shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $241.8824.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on IQVIA from $252.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on IQVIA from $220.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $240.00 price objective on shares of IQVIA in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of IQVIA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of IQVIA from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at IQVIA

In other news, insider W Richard Staub sold 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.68, for a total transaction of $1,279,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,312 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,097,436.16. This trade represents a 29.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Bhavik Patel sold 1,855 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.27, for a total transaction of $436,425.85. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,348 shares of the company's stock, valued at $317,143.96. The trade was a 57.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 12,913 shares of company stock valued at $3,098,793 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IQVIA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in IQVIA during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,811,292,000. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of IQVIA in the third quarter worth approximately $676,698,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of IQVIA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $497,445,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 2,628.1% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,675,479 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $377,670,000 after purchasing an additional 1,614,063 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in IQVIA during the second quarter valued at approximately $240,911,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.62% of the company's stock.

IQVIA Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:IQV opened at $260.17 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company's 50-day moving average price is $213.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.21. The company has a market cap of $42.82 billion, a PE ratio of 32.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.18. IQVIA has a fifty-two week low of $154.50 and a fifty-two week high of $260.40.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The medical research company reported $3.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.03 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $4.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.30 billion. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 30.25%. IQVIA's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.800-13.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that IQVIA will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current year.

IQVIA announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical research company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are 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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