Is Now The Time To Look At Buying IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)?

IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$248 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$181. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether IQVIA Holdings' current trading price of US$181 reflective of the actual value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at IQVIA Holdings’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

Check out our latest analysis for IQVIA Holdings

What Is IQVIA Holdings Worth?

According to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average, the stock currently looks expensive. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that IQVIA Holdings’s ratio of 29.12x is above its peer average of 23.2x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Life Sciences industry. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Since IQVIA Holdings’s share price is quite volatile, this could mean it can sink lower (or rise even further) in the future, giving us another chance to invest. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

Can we expect growth from IQVIA Holdings?

Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 70% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for IQVIA Holdings. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in IQV’s positive outlook, with shares trading above industry price multiples. However, this brings up another question – is now the right time to sell? If you believe IQV should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on IQV for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for IQV, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for IQVIA Holdings you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in IQVIA Holdings, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.