Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Cuts Position in IQVIA Holdings Inc. $IQV

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lessened its holdings in IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,371,385 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 62,572 shares during the period. IQVIA makes up approximately 1.1% of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in IQVIA were worth $759,944,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in IQVIA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in IQVIA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in IQVIA by 590.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 138 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in IQVIA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.62% of the company’s stock.

IQVIA Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of IQV stock opened at $179.04 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $173.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.01 and a 1 year high of $247.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.21.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical research company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.07. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.33% and a return on equity of 30.50%. The business had revenue of $4.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.70 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.650-12.950 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current year.

IQVIA announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical research company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $225.00 price objective on IQVIA in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded IQVIA from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded IQVIA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded IQVIA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $174.00 to $213.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, IQVIA currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $224.13.

IQVIA 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.