Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Raises Holdings in IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) by 160.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,810 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in IQVIA were worth $1,017,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Foundation Advisors lifted its stake in IQVIA by 3.8% in the second quarter. First Foundation Advisors now owns 1,161 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Team Hewins LLC raised its position in IQVIA by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Team Hewins LLC now owns 973 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in IQVIA by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,183,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in IQVIA by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 154 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in IQVIA by 0.3% in the second quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 15,668 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. 89.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

IQVIA Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE IQV opened at $238.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.49. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $167.42 and a 52 week high of $261.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $237.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 22nd. The medical research company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.57 by $0.07. IQVIA had a net margin of 9.39% and a return on equity of 28.59%. The company had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at IQVIA

In other news, insider Eric Sherbet sold 1,300 shares of IQVIA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.33, for a total transaction of $320,229.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,536 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,812,302.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on IQVIA from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on IQVIA from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on IQVIA from $260.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of IQVIA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.67.

IQVIA Profile

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.