Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 9,354 Shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) by 77.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,788 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 9,354 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in IQVIA were worth $548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of IQVIA during the fourth quarter worth about $236,120,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in IQVIA by 396.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,134,737 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $222,987,000 after purchasing an additional 905,960 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of IQVIA by 38.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,887,342 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $684,213,000 after purchasing an additional 804,963 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of IQVIA by 46.2% in the third 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, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of IQVIA by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,405,281 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $277,908,000 after buying an additional 452,029 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.62% of the company’s stock.

IQVIA Price Performance

IQV opened at $179.40 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.92, a PEG 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $193.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $206.91. IQVIA Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.74 and a twelve month high of $253.84.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts expect that IQVIA Holdings Inc. will post 10.84 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of IQVIA from $212.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of IQVIA from $255.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on IQVIA from $273.00 to $261.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on IQVIA from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, IQVIA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.