Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 23,682 Shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 525,489 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,682 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.29% of IQVIA worth $103,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,131,734 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,956,087,000 after buying an additional 105,504 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in IQVIA by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,438,726 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $481,380,000 after purchasing an additional 59,426 shares in the last quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in IQVIA by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,066,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $406,018,000 after purchasing an additional 226,017 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of IQVIA by 46.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,845,711 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $437,378,000 after purchasing an additional 583,396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of IQVIA in the fourth quarter worth $336,041,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.62% of the company’s stock.

IQVIA Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE:IQV opened at $174.52 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. The company has a fifty day moving average of $191.43 and a 200 day moving average of $204.92. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.11 and a 52 week high of $252.88.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 28.81% and a net margin of 8.91%. On average, research analysts predict that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on IQV shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Monday, February 10th. BTIG Research cut shares of IQVIA from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $263.00 price target (up previously from $261.00) on shares of IQVIA in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stephens began coverage on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of IQVIA from $212.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, IQVIA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.05.

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.