Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) Director Eugene Pacelli Mccague Sells 841 Shares of Stock

Icon Plc (NASDAQ:ICLR) Director Eugene Pacelli Mccague sold 841 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.29, for a total value of $138,167.89. Following the sale, the director owned 3,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $626,109.19. This represents a 18.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Icon Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:ICLR opened at $167.17 on Thursday. Icon Plc has a 12-month low of $66.57 and a 12-month high of $203.91. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $161.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.18. The company has a market capitalization of $12.80 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 6.86 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical research company reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Icon had a return on equity of 8.02% and a net margin of 3.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.26 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Icon Plc will post 9.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ICLR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Icon from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $126.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Icon to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Icon from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Icon from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Icon from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $170.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Icon

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Icon by 26.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,637,137 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $811,499,000 after purchasing an additional 975,268 shares during the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd grew its position in Icon by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 4,214,661 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $767,996,000 after purchasing an additional 75,843 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Icon by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,756,896 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $684,582,000 after purchasing an additional 329,266 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Icon by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,311,771 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $366,481,000 after purchasing an additional 310,236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Icon by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,993,336 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $545,410,000 after purchasing an additional 239,808 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.61% of the company’s stock.

Icon News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Icon this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Icon’s latest quarterly results modestly exceeded expectations. Adjusted EPS was $2.56 versus the $2.55 consensus, while revenue reached $2.06 billion, above the $2.00 billion estimate. Revenue increased 2.3% year over year, providing evidence of continued demand for its outsourced clinical-research services.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment includes several bullish targets. BMO Capital Markets raised its target to $187 and Mizuho increased its target to $190, while William Blair upgraded the stock to “strong buy.” The broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with an average target of $170.40. Analyst coverage article
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling was widespread but appears largely administrative: CEO Barry Balfe sold 382 shares for about $62,675, CFO Nigel Clerkin sold 2,267 shares for approximately $372,445, and several directors also sold shares. The SEC filings state that the transactions were made to cover tax-withholding obligations tied to vested equity awards. Executives and directors retained shares afterward. Icon CFO insider sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was zero shares, indicating no measurable short-selling pressure or potential short-covering catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the quarterly revenue beat, EPS declined from $3.26 in the comparable prior-year period. ICLR also trades at a relatively high valuation, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 39 and a PEG ratio above 6, leaving the stock sensitive to any slowdown in growth or weaker guidance.

About Icon

Icon plc (NASDAQ: ICLR) is a global provider of outsourced drug development and clinical research services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The company partners with clients at all stages of the product life cycle, offering expertise in protocol design, trial execution and regulatory compliance across a broad range of therapeutic areas.

Icon’s service portfolio encompasses clinical trial management, data management and biostatistics, medical imaging, pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring, laboratory sciences and specialized analytical solutions.