Jefferies Financial Group Upgrades IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) to "Buy"

Key Points

• IQVIA was upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Jefferies Financial Group, with a new price target of $225.00, indicating a potential upside of 19.86% from its current price.
• As of now, 18 financial analysts have rated IQVIA with a Buy rating, contributing to an average consensus target price of $229.64.
• IQVIA recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.81, surpassing estimates, and expects to achieve an FY 2025 guidance of 11.750-12.050 EPS.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $225.00 target price on the medical research company's stock, up from their previous target price of $195.00. Jefferies Financial Group's target price points to a potential upside of 20.10% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of IQVIA from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of IQVIA from $232.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on IQVIA from $159.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $229.64.

IQVIA Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of IQV stock traded down $3.35 on Tuesday, hitting $187.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 946,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,903,188. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.45, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. IQVIA has a fifty-two week low of $134.65 and a fifty-two week high of $248.03. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $182.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.32.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.96 billion. IQVIA had a net margin of 7.88% and a return on equity of 30.05%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.64 earnings per share. IQVIA has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.750-12.050 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that IQVIA will post 10.84 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at IQVIA

In other news, insider Eric Sherbet sold 5,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.05, for a total transaction of $1,102,290.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 27,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,165,178.90. This represents a 17.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Keriann Cherofsky sold 549 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.53, for a total transaction of $105,149.97. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,910 shares in the company, valued at $557,352.30. This trade represents a 15.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of IQVIA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in IQVIA in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its stake in IQVIA by 436.7% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 161 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in IQVIA by 295.5% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 174 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. AllSquare Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in IQVIA in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in IQVIA by 66.1% in the first quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 191 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 89.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About IQVIA

IQVIA Holdings Inc engages in the provision of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Technology & Analytics Solutions, Research & Development Solutions, and Contract Sales & Medical Solutions.