Geode Capital Management LLC Grows Holdings in IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,175,524 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 77,981 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in IQVIA were worth $818,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in IQV. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA in the 3rd quarter worth about $223,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in IQVIA by 30.8% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 8,188 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,940,000 after buying an additional 1,927 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in IQVIA during the third quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA during the third quarter worth approximately $446,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 142,031 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,640,000 after acquiring an additional 8,436 shares during the last quarter. 89.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on IQV. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of IQVIA from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Stephens began coverage on IQVIA in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut IQVIA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on IQVIA from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, IQVIA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.05.

IQVIA Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE IQV opened at $174.52 on Thursday. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.11 and a 12 month high of $252.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $191.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.92. The stock has a market cap of $30.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.50.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by ($0.21). IQVIA had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 28.81%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.