IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $253.99 and last traded at $254.9950, with a volume of 83184 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $249.28.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IQV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on IQVIA from $252.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $240.00 target price on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of IQVIA from $220.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on IQVIA from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.88.

IQVIA Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $210.23 and a 200-day moving average of $186.82. 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 firm has a market cap of $41.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.18.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The medical research company reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.03 by $0.12. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The company had revenue of $4.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.81 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.800-13.000 EPS. Research analysts predict that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

IQVIA declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical research company to buy up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Eric Sherbet sold 5,000 shares of IQVIA stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.16, for a total transaction of $1,245,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,232,110.84. This trade represents a 19.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Keriann Cherofsky sold 558 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.21, for a total transaction of $136,827.18. Following the transaction, the insider owned 2,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $732,932.69. This represents a 15.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,913 shares of company stock valued at $3,098,793. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of IQVIA

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,650,532 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,429,426,000 after purchasing an additional 159,899 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of IQVIA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,811,292,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of IQVIA by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,374,971 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $982,272,000 after purchasing an additional 24,453 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in IQVIA by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,087,380 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $923,276,000 after purchasing an additional 530,672 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in IQVIA by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,799,600 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $856,468,000 after purchasing an additional 528,753 shares in the last quarter. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

IQVIA Company Profile

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.