Medpace (NASDAQ:MEDP) Upgraded at Robert W. Baird

Medpace (NASDAQ:MEDP) was upgraded by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report issued on Tuesday. The brokerage currently has a $564.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 21.36% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Medpace from $485.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Medpace in a report on Friday, October 24th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Medpace from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Mizuho set a $660.00 price objective on Medpace in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Medpace in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $486.82.

Medpace Stock Performance

MEDP traded down $65.64 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $464.72. The company had a trading volume of 688,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 285,808. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $578.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $539.57. Medpace has a 12-month low of $250.05 and a 12-month high of $628.92. The stock has a market cap of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 32.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.42.

Medpace (NASDAQ:MEDP) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $4.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.49. Medpace had a return on equity of 91.88% and a net margin of 18.36%.The firm had revenue of $708.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $689.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 32.0% on a year-over-year basis. Medpace has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.680-17.500 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Medpace will post 12.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Medpace news, CEO August J. Troendle sold 59,025 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.78, for a total transaction of $35,874,214.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 774,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $470,787,603.56. The trade was a 7.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Susan E. Burwig sold 20,000 shares of Medpace stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.15, for a total value of $12,183,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 27,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,751,625. This trade represents a 42.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 302,192 shares of company stock worth $182,019,762. 20.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Medpace by 65.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,025,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,170,000 after buying an additional 404,226 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Medpace in the 2nd quarter valued at about $66,597,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Medpace by 205.8% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 314,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,523,000 after buying an additional 211,411 shares in the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Medpace during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,569,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Medpace by 17.4% during the second quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 817,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,559,000 after purchasing an additional 121,213 shares during the last quarter. 77.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Medpace

Here are the key news stories impacting Medpace this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — EPS of $4.67 vs. $4.18 expected and revenue of $708.5M (up 32% YoY). Strong margins and ROE reinforce the quality of the quarter. Business Wire: Q4 & FY2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management provided FY‑2026 guidance above prior expectations — EPS range 16.68–17.50 and revenue guide ~$2.8–2.9B, signaling continued high-single/low‑double‑digit growth visibility. (Guidance underpins upside to 2026 earnings). Business Wire: Guidance Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call color — management reiterated drivers (therapeutic mix, international growth, disciplined buybacks) but gave detail that some analysts view as mixed; read the full call transcript for nuance on bookings and timing. Seeking Alpha: Q4 2025 Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Backlog and booking dynamics flagged as concern — analysts and commentaries describe backlog growth as “stale/sluggish,” which tempers confidence in sustained revenue acceleration despite a healthy book‑to‑bill. That narrative pressured the stock. Seeking Alpha: Great Quarter, Stale Backlog
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and headlines highlighted a “key negative” (timing/contract mix impact and perceived in‑line elements of guidance), triggering short‑term profit taking despite the beat — several outlets noted the stock dropped on the news. Investing.com: Shares Tumble Despite Beat MSN: Key Negative Explained

Medpace Company Profile

Medpace Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: MEDP) is a global contract research organization (CRO) that provides comprehensive clinical development services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies. The company supports clinical trials across all phases (I–IV), offering end-to-end solutions designed to streamline the development process and accelerate the delivery of new therapies to market.

Medpace’s core service offerings include clinical pharmacology, regulatory affairs consulting, project management, central laboratory services, imaging, data management and biostatistics, pharmacovigilance and medical writing.