IQV vs ICLR Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
IQVIA and ICON are both major global contract research organizations serving pharmaceutical and biotech clinical trial needs, but IQVIA combines its clinical research business with proprietary healthcare data and analytics platforms, while ICON operates as a more focused, pure-play contract research organization.
IQVIA offers a differentiated combination of clinical research services and healthcare data analytics, while ICON offers a more focused, specialized clinical research organization model. Consider whether you prefer IQVIA's data-and-services combination or ICON's focused CRO specialization.
IQV holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. IQV has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+45.01% vs +1.17%), though ICLR has the better forward P/E setup (13.60x vs 18.10x for IQV). IQV leads on both revenue growth (8.70%) and operating margin (13.03%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for ICLR (+14.91%) than for IQV (+5.13%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to a differentiated combination of clinical research services and proprietary healthcare data analytics
- Believe the combined data and services model creates a durable competitive advantage versus pure-play CROs
- Value diversified customer exposure across both large pharma and biotech drug development spending
- Are comfortable with bookings sensitivity to biotech funding cycles
- Prefer a focused, pure-play contract research organization business model
- Value deep specialization across the full range of clinical trial phases
- Believe continued integration execution from prior acquisitions will support margin improvement
- Are comfortable with bookings sensitivity to biotech funding cycles
| Metric | IQV | ICLR |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 53.9 | 38.5 |
| AI ranki | #317 | #1360 |
| Latest closei | $269.67 | $172.45 |
| 1M returni | +13.95% | +5.70% |
| 6M returni | +60.11% | +71.61% |
| 1Y returni | +45.01% | +1.17% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | IQV | ICLR |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $14.44K (+44.4%) started 2025-09-16 | $10.12K (+1.2%) started 2025-09-15 |
| 5Y ago | $10.52K (+5.2%) started 2021-09-17 | $6.56K (-34.4%) started 2021-09-15 |
| 10Y ago | $34.85K (+248.5%) started 2016-09-19 | $22.51K (+125.1%) started 2016-09-15 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | IQV | ICLR |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $43.08B | $12.46B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 32.56 | 248.43 |
| Forward P/Ei | 18.10 | 13.60 |
| Price/Salesi | 1.70 | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 3.38 | 1.81 |
| Analyst targeti | $275.17 | $185.56 |
| Target upsidei | +5.13% | +14.91% |
| Metric | IQV | ICLR |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 8.70% | 1.20% |
| Earnings growthi | -0.60% | -63.30% |
| EPS growthi | -0.60% | -63.30% |
| FCF margini | +12.66% | +7.51% |
| Operating margini | 13.03% | 9.41% |
| Profit margini | 8.10% | 0.33% |
| ROIC proxyi | 22.82% | 0.29% |
| Return on equityi | 22.82% | 0.29% |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | N/A |
| Payout ratioi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Dividend growth streaki | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 1.18 | 1.20 |
| Debt/equityi | 257.98 | 37.60 |
| Current ratioi | 0.71 | 0.95 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.62 | 0.92 |
Over the past year, IQV and ICLR have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.58), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | IQV | ICLR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +44.36% | +1.17% |
| CAGRi | +44.46% | +1.17% | |
| Volatilityi | 41.10% | 67.02% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.99 | 0.33 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.52 | 0.42 | |
| Max drawdowni | 35.87% | 60.54% | |
| Current drawdowni | 0.72% | 15.02% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 13.95% | 22.98% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 19.12% | 28.39% | |
| Max daily dropi | 11.88% | 39.85% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 23.20% | 44.92% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +5.20% | -34.44% |
| CAGRi | +1.02% | -8.10% | |
| Volatilityi | 34.74% | 45.78% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.07 | -0.04 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.11 | -0.06 | |
| Max drawdowni | 51.52% | 76.87% | |
| Current drawdowni | 4.58% | 50.19% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 24.74% | 31.79% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 26.95% | 37.25% | |
| Max daily dropi | 11.88% | 39.85% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 23.20% | 44.92% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +248.50% | +125.13% |
| CAGRi | +13.31% | +8.45% | |
| Volatilityi | 32.34% | 38.27% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.41 | 0.29 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.60 | 0.41 | |
| Max drawdowni | 51.52% | 76.87% | |
| Current drawdowni | 4.58% | 50.19% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 15.07% | 18.98% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 19.90% | 26.95% | |
| Max daily dropi | 16.54% | 39.85% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 28.34% | 44.92% |
| Category | IQV | ICLR |
|---|---|---|
| Company | IQVIA Holdings Inc. | ICON plc |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Diagnostics & Research | Diagnostics & Research |
| Core business | A global provider of clinical research services and healthcare data analytics, combining a large contract research organization business with proprietary healthcare data and technology platforms serving pharmaceutical and biotech customers. | A global contract research organization providing outsourced clinical development and commercialization services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies across all phases of clinical trials. |
| Investor focus | Clinical research bookings and backlog conversion, technology and analytics segment growth, and biotech versus large pharma customer spending trends. | Net new business bookings and backlog growth, biotech versus large pharma customer mix, and margin trends following prior acquisition integration. |
- Combination of clinical research services with proprietary healthcare data and analytics creates differentiation versus pure-play CROs
- Large scale and global footprint support participation in complex, multi-region clinical trials
- Diversified customer base across large pharma and biotech companies provides exposure to a broad range of drug development spending
- Focused clinical research organization model provides deep specialization across the full range of clinical trial phases
- Global operational footprint supports execution of complex, multi-region clinical trials for a broad customer base
- Prior large-scale acquisition has broadened service capabilities and scale within the contract research industry
- Clinical research bookings can be sensitive to biotech funding cycles and overall pharmaceutical research and development spending
- Integration of data analytics and clinical research businesses requires ongoing execution to fully realize combined value
- Competitive contract research services market includes numerous other established and emerging providers
- Clinical research bookings can be sensitive to biotech funding cycles and overall pharmaceutical research and development spending
- Integration of previously acquired businesses requires ongoing execution to realize expected synergies
- Competitive contract research services market includes numerous other established and emerging providers
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