IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Shares Up 4.7% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• IQVIA Holdings Inc. shares increased by 4.7% to $189.23, despite a trading volume that was 55% lower than average.
• Recent analyst reports have shown a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating for IQVIA, with target prices set as high as $229.64.
• The company's Q2 earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $2.81 EPS on revenue of $4.02 billion, and it has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.750-12.050 EPS.

Shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) shot up 4.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $189.17 and last traded at $189.23. 835,860 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 55% from the average session volume of 1,849,847 shares. The stock had previously closed at $180.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on IQV. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised IQVIA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Redburn Partners set a $214.00 target price on IQVIA in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on IQVIA from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on IQVIA from $159.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $229.64.

IQVIA Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $32.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.49, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $187.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $167.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.45.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.04. IQVIA had a return on equity of 30.05% and a net margin of 7.88%.The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.64 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. IQVIA has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.750-12.050 EPS. Equities analysts expect that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Keriann Cherofsky sold 549 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.53, for a total transaction of $105,149.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at $557,352.30. This trade represents a 15.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Eric Sherbet sold 5,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.05, for a total value of $1,102,290.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IQVIA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IQV. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of IQVIA by 244.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,575 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 2,537 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of IQVIA by 83.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,861 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 4,483 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of IQVIA by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,791 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of IQVIA by 129.5% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 677 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in IQVIA by 27,448.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 387,331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $68,286,000 after acquiring an additional 385,925 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.62% of the company's stock.

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.

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