Candriam S.C.A. Buys 3,970 Shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. $IQV

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 143,415 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,970 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.09% of IQVIA worth $38,698,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of IQVIA in the second quarter worth about $2,811,292,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of IQVIA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $240,911,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of IQVIA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $235,551,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $211,342,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $180,296,000. 89.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider James G. Berkshire sold 2,668 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.33, for a total transaction of $697,228.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,845,883.70. This trade represents a 19.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

IQVIA Stock Performance

Shares of IQVIA stock opened at $271.45 on Friday. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $154.50 and a one year high of $284.50. The company has a market cap of $44.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.98, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $266.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $211.03.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The medical research company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.08. IQVIA had a return on equity of 30.02% and a net margin of 8.05%. The company had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 11.53 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on IQV shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on IQVIA from $220.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of IQVIA from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of IQVIA from $191.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of IQVIA from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on IQVIA from $324.00 to $328.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $294.21.

About IQVIA

IQVIA Holdings Inc provides clinical research services, healthcare data and analytics, and technology solutions to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical-device, and other healthcare organizations. Its services support the development and commercialization of medicines and other healthcare products.

The company’s offerings include clinical trial planning and management, real-world data and evidence, consulting, and software and technology platforms for life sciences research and commercial operations.