CRL vs FTRE vs IQV Stock Comparison

Charles River Laboratories International, Fortrea Holdings and Iqvia Holdings Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
FTRE Fortrea Holdings Inc.
$24.43 +22.8% 1M +135.1% 1Y
Market cap
$2.45B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.68B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
1 win
IQV Iqvia Holdings Inc.
$271.68 +0.7% 1M +25.0% 1Y
Market cap
$45.93B
P/E
33.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.31B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
9 wins

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Iqvia Holdings leads on 9 of the 12 questions below (Iqvia Holdings 9, Fortrea Holdings 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCRLFTREIQVLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $17.99B $2.45B $45.93B IQV
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -75.5x -28.7x 33.0x –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 32.9x 30.2x 22.4x IQV
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -0.7% -2.1% +8.8% IQV
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -6.0% -3.2% 8.1% IQV
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 1.6% -0.7% 8.2% IQV
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 6.3x 13.1x 3.9x IQV
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +83.9% +135.1% +25.0% FTRE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.9%/yr — +1.1%/yr IQV
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 45.9% 70.3% 40.3% IQV
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 45/100 50/100 71/100 IQV

Percentile Scorecard

CRLFTREIQV

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCRLFTREIQV
Valuation 60 #5 of 11 90 #2 of 11 80 #3 of 11
Growth 10 #10 of 11 60 #5 of 11 80 #3 of 11
Profitability 70 #4 of 11 50 #6 of 11 90 #2 of 11
Financial Health 42 #8 of 13 0 #13 of 13 33 #9 of 13
Shareholder Returns – – –
Overall 45 50 71
  • CRL ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • FTRE ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • IQV ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCRLFTREIQVSPY
1 month +22.5%+22.8%+0.7% -0.2%
3 months +49.4%+18.0%+11.7% +3.9%
6 months +115.3%+127.0%+70.9% +8.2%
Year to date +80.0%+41.6%+20.5% +12.9%
1 year +83.9%+135.1%+25.0% +12.3%
3 years +108.0%-11.3%+51.0% +87.4%
3 years, per year +27.7%-3.9%+14.7% +23.3%
5 years -18.2%—+5.6% +67.9%
5 years, per year -3.9%—+1.1% +10.9%
10 years +369.5%—+276.8% +261.1%
10 years, per year +16.7%—+14.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCRLFTREIQVSPY
Volatility, 1Y 45.9%70.3%40.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.0%63.6%39.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.272.010.74 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.831.920.62 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -77.8%-89.9%-51.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%0.0%-2.8% -1.2%
52-week high $359.04$24.43$279.38 $779.14
52-week low $149.93$8.87$156.66 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCRLFTREIQV
P/E now vs peer median -72.3xmedian 32.1x -27.2xmedian 32.1x 32.1xmedian 32.1x
P/S now vs peer median 4.3xmedian 2.6x 0.9xmedian 2.6x 2.6xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 50.4xmedian 38.1x 47.5xmedian 38.1x 16.9xmedian 38.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 46.2xmedian 21.5x 11.9xmedian 21.5x 21.5xmedian 21.5x
P/B now vs peer median 6.0xmedian 3.1x 4.4xmedian 3.1x 6.6xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 2.00median 2.03 0.57median 2.03 2.78median 2.03

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCRLFTREIQV
Revenue $4.00B $2.68B $17.31B
Gross profit $1.31B $516.60M $5.72B
Operating income $90.14M -$10.80M $2.22B
Net income -$239.23M -$85.20M $1.40B
Free cash flow $370.61M $196.00M $2.08B
EPS (diluted) $-4.97 $-0.90 $8.35
Cash & equivalents $192.03M $168.60M $2.25B
Total debt $2.62B $1.05B $16.07B
Shares (diluted) 48.02M 94.80M 167.00M
Enterprise value $17.19B $1.83B $37.19B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCRLFTREIQV
P/E -72.3x -27.2x 32.1x
P/FCF 46.2x 11.9x 21.5x
P/Operating cash flow 29.4x 10.2x 16.4x
P/S 4.3x 0.9x 2.6x
P/B 6.0x 4.4x 6.6x
P/Tangible book 6.6x -37.1x 21.8x
EV/EBITDA 50.4x 47.5x 16.9x
EV/EBIT 217.0x -297.1x 26.3x
EV/Revenue 4.9x 1.2x 3.4x
EV/FCF 52.8x 16.4x 28.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 33.6x 14.1x 21.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.00 0.57 2.78

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCRLFTREIQV
Revenue growth (1Y) -0.7% -2.1% 8.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -1.5% -0.1% 5.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -0.1% -4.2% 6.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -5.5% -10.2% 3.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -27.6% 98.8% 1.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -48.2% -27.7% 6.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -268.7% 91.7% 9.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -35.5% -38.4% 7.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -253.8% 92.1% 11.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -36.2% -47.7% 11.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -26.1% 359.7% -2.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.3% -3.4% 11.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -35.9% 290.1% -6.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 0.8% 16.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCRLFTREIQV
Gross margin 32.7% 19.3% 33.1%
EBITDA margin 9.7% 2.5% 20.0%
Operating margin 2.3% -0.4% 12.8%
Pretax margin -4.6% -2.9% 9.0%
Net margin -6.0% -3.2% 8.1%
FCF margin 9.3% 7.3% 12.0%
Operating cash flow margin 14.6% 8.5% 15.8%
Return on equity -8.2% -16.2% 21.4%
Return on assets -3.1% -3.2% 4.6%
Return on invested capital 1.6% -0.7% 8.2%
Return on capital employed 1.4% -0.6% 9.9%
Asset turnover 0.5x 1.0x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -2.4x -2.7x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 2.1% 2.3% 1.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCRLFTREIQV
Debt / assets 34.8% 38.8% 52.7%
Debt / equity 0.9x 2.0x 2.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 6.3x 13.1x 3.9x
Debt / FCF 7.1x 5.4x 7.7x
Liabilities / assets 62.2% 80.7% 77.7%
Equity / assets 37.8% 19.3% 22.3%
Interest coverage 0.8x – 2.8x
Current ratio 1.3x 1.0x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 3.08 0.86 2.27

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCRLFTREIQV
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield 1.9% – 2.6%
Shareholder yield 1.9% – 2.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCRLFTREIQV
Forward P/E 32.9xFY2026 30.2xFY2026 22.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.90FY2026 $0.81FY2026 $12.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +6.0%FY2026 +88.4%FY2026 +1.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +20.5% +22.2% +13.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.82BFY2026 $2.77BFY2026 $18.58BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -4.9%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +13.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.7% -3.4% -3.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCRLFTREIQV
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 94.1%
Institutions holding 570 329 1,083
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.7% -0.2% +0.3%
Institutions buying 270 139 530
Institutions selling 204 108 424
Buyers to sellers 1.32 1.29 1.25

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CRLFTREIQV
CRL 1.00 0.55 0.71
FTRE 0.55 1.00 0.57
IQV 0.71 0.57 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CRL, FTRE and IQV?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) is the largest by market capitalisation: Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) $17.99B, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) $2.45B, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) $45.93B.

Which company is growing faster?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) -0.7%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -2.1%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +8.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) has the highest net margin (Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) -6.0%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -3.2%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.1%). On return on invested capital, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) leads (Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) 1.6%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -0.7%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) returned the most: Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) +83.9%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) +135.1%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +25.0%. Over five years, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) compounded fastest (Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) -3.9%/yr, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +1.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) has been the steadiest (Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) 45.9%, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) 70.3%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 40.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CRL, FTRE and IQV?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) leads on 9. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.