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Durham, North Carolina-based IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV) provides clinical research services, commercial insights, and healthcare intelligence to the life sciences industry. Valued at $43.1 billion by market cap, the company operates through Technology & Analytics (TAS), Research & Development (R&DS), and Contract Sales & Medical Solutions (CSMS) segments.
Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as "large-cap stocks," IQVIA fits right into that category, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, reflecting its substantial size, influence, and dominance in the diagnostics & research industry. The company’s operations span the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific.
Despite its strengths, IQV stock has tanked 29.2% from its 52-week high of $261.72 touched on Mar. 13, 2024. Moreover, the stock has declined 7.5% over the past three months, lagging behind the Dow Jones Industrials Average’s ($DOWI) 5.8% drop during the same time frame.
IQVIA’s performance looks even grimmer over the longer term. IQV stock plummeted 22.2% over the past six months and 28.4% over the past 52 weeks, notably underperforming the Dow’s 62 bps uptick over the past six months and 6% gains over the past year.
To confirm the bearish trend, IQV has traded consistently below its 200-day moving average since late October 2024 and below its 20-day moving average since early September 2024 with some fluctuations.
IQVIA’s stock prices rose 2.2% after the release of its better-than-expected Q4 results on Feb. 6. Driven by the solid performance of its TAS segment, the company reported a notable 2.3% year-over-year growth in total revenues to approximately $4 billion, which surpassed the Street’s expectations. However, due to softness in the contract research market and reduced demand, IQVIA’s R&DS and CSMS segments observed a slight decline in sales. On the brighter side, the company delivered a solid 7.8% year-over-year growth in adjusted net income to $564 million and its adjusted EPS of $3.12 surpassed the consensus estimates by a notable margin.
Meanwhile, IQVIA has performed slightly better than its peer Agilent Technologies, Inc.’s (A) 12.1% decline over the past six months and 18.9% drop over the past 52-week period.
Despite its underperformance on the stock exchange, analysts remain optimistic about the company’s prospects. IQV has a consensus “Strong Buy” rating among the 22 analysts covering it. Its mean price target of $245.32 suggests a 32.3% upside potential from current price levels.
