IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen upgraded IQVIA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $174.00 to $213.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. HSBC set a $210.00 target price on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of IQVIA from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (down from $225.00) on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, IQVIA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.56.

IQVIA Stock Up 2.5%

IQV stock opened at $191.12 on Friday. IQVIA has a twelve month low of $154.50 and a twelve month high of $247.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The business has a 50 day moving average of $174.43 and a 200 day moving average of $190.07. The firm has a market cap of $31.90 billion, a PE ratio of 23.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.21.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The medical research company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.650-12.950 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that IQVIA will post 11.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

IQVIA announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical research company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in IQVIA in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of IQVIA in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in IQVIA in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of IQVIA in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in IQVIA during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About IQVIA

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.