IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $205.44, but opened at $218.10. IQVIA shares last traded at $215.73, with a volume of 222,162 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IQV has been the subject of several research reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of IQVIA in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $276.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of IQVIA from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on IQVIA from $270.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays dropped their target price on IQVIA from $255.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Stephens started coverage on IQVIA in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.53.

IQVIA Stock Up 3.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $200.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.87.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 28.17% and a net margin of 9.17%. On average, analysts predict that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of IQVIA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IQV. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in IQVIA by 10.7% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 485 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 3,969 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $941,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its position in shares of IQVIA by 0.5% during the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 9,481 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,247,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of IQVIA by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,147 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in IQVIA by 2.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,977 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.