IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the medical research company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target points to a potential upside of 14.75% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on IQVIA from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of IQVIA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the company from $206.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen downgraded IQVIA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of IQVIA from $177.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, IQVIA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.00.

IQVIA Stock Performance

IQVIA stock traded up $5.70 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $226.58. 527,279 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,829,192. IQVIA has a 52-week low of $134.65 and a 52-week high of $228.12. The stock has a market cap of $38.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $201.27 and its 200 day moving average is $177.73.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The medical research company reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.98 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.07 billion. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 30.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.84 earnings per share. IQVIA has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.850-11.950 EPS. Analysts predict that IQVIA will post 10.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Eric Sherbet sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.70, for a total value of $878,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,108 shares in the company, valued at $5,955,627.60. This represents a 12.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IQVIA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in IQVIA by 7.3% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,594,831 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $810,069,000 after buying an additional 312,807 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in IQVIA by 0.6% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,555,929 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $560,379,000 after buying an additional 19,573 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in IQVIA by 4.9% in the third quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,433,957 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $652,246,000 after buying an additional 161,085 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in IQVIA by 22.8% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,126,171 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $492,659,000 after acquiring an additional 581,157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in IQVIA by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,314,219 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $421,257,000 after acquiring an additional 253,759 shares during the period. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.