IQV Gains From Clinical Development Capabilities Amid Low Liquidity
IQVIA Holdings Inc. IQV had an impressive run in the past three months. The company’s shares have gained 12.5% compared with the 3.4% rally of its industry and the 2.5% rise of the Zacks S&P 500 composite.
IQV reported impressive second-quarter 2024 results. Adjusted earnings (excluding 67 cents from non-recurring items) were $2.6 per share, outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.3% and increasing 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Total revenues of $3.8 billion surpassed the consensus estimate marginally and rose 2.3% from the year-ago quarter.
How is IQVIA Doing?
IQVIA’s addressable market size is more than $330 billion, and consists of outsourced research and development, real-world evidence and connected health, and technology-enabled clinical and commercial operations markets. IQV aspires to expand and penetrate these markets on the back of innovation and enhancements to its services utilizing its database, advanced analytics, transformative technology, and significant domain expertise.
IQV’s treasure trove of information is a distinguishing asset and perhaps acts as a hindrance to entry for competitors. It has a vast collection of healthcare data that encompasses more than one billion comprehensive, longitudinal, non-identified patient records across sales, prescription and promotional data, electronic medical records, medical claims, genomics, and social media. The distinct ability to standardize, organize and integrate this information through applying complex analytics and global technology infrastructure helps IQV build a strong client base.
A set of robust capabilities strengthens IQVIA’s position in the life sciences space and enables it to make the most of the market opportunities. IQV has a strong healthcare-specific global IT infrastructure, analytics-driven clinical development capabilities, a robust real-world solutions ecosystem, and a growing set of proprietary clinical and commercial applications that allow it to grow and strengthen its relationships with healthcare stakeholders.
IQVIA Holdings Inc. Revenue (TTM)
IQVIA Holdings Inc. revenue-ttm | IQVIA Holdings Inc. Quote
A diversified base of more than 10,000 clients in above 100 countries is a result of IQVIA’s combined offerings of research and development, and commercial services.
IQV has a consistent record of share repurchases. In 2023, the company repurchased shares worth $992 million. In 2022, it repurchased $1.17 billion worth of shares. In 2021, share repurchases of $406 million were made. Strategies like these positively impact the bottom line and boost investor morale.
Dividend-seeking investors should avoid buying IQVIA. The company has no plan to pay cash dividends on common stock at present. Future dividend payments depend on factors such as financial condition, cash requirements and contractual restrictions.
IQVIA’s current ratio (a measure of liquidity) at the end of second-quarter 2024 was pegged at 0.85, lower than the industry’s 2. A current ratio of less than 1 often indicates that a company may have problems paying off its short-term obligations. It has increased 63% sequentially in the second quarter.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
IQVIA carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present.
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Business Services sector are Lightspeed POS LSPD and Maplebear Inc. CART.
Lightspeed POS currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
LSPD has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 33.4%. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 188.3%, on average.
Maplebear flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1 at present. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 27.5%.
CART delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 414.6%, on average.
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IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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