IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Tuesday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on IQV. UBS Group cut their price target on IQVIA from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on IQVIA from $212.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays reduced their price objective on IQVIA from $255.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on IQVIA from $240.00 to $232.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Leerink Partners reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $248.00 price objective (down previously from $260.00) on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.05.

IQVIA Stock Performance

NYSE IQV opened at $185.45 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. The company has a market capitalization of $32.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.50. IQVIA has a 12-month low of $179.28 and a 12-month high of $261.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $197.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $213.47.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.11 by ($0.21). IQVIA had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 28.81%. Analysts anticipate that IQVIA will post 10.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IQVIA

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IQV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in IQVIA by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,131,734 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,956,087,000 after buying an additional 105,504 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,282,024 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $841,461,000 after buying an additional 712,958 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in IQVIA by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,175,524 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $818,315,000 after purchasing an additional 77,981 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in IQVIA by 38.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,887,342 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $684,213,000 after purchasing an additional 804,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in IQVIA by 53.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,590,260 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $509,012,000 after purchasing an additional 902,226 shares during the last quarter. 89.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.