Earnest Partners LLC Buys 68,870 Shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)

Earnest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) by 19.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 426,399 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 68,870 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings in IQVIA were worth $83,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Criteria Caixa S.A.U. bought a new position in shares of IQVIA in the 4th quarter worth about $51,217,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of IQVIA by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,656 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $718,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in IQVIA by 25.8% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,761 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 63.7% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 38,860 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,636,000 after purchasing an additional 15,127 shares during the period. Finally, Syon Capital LLC raised its stake in IQVIA by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the period. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

IQVIA Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE IQV opened at $150.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $135.97 and a twelve month high of $252.88. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $171.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $193.81.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last released its 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 net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 28.81%. Research analysts forecast that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on IQV. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of IQVIA from $242.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $170.00 price target (down previously from $235.00) on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target on IQVIA from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded IQVIA from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $237.62.

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.