FTRE vs ICLR vs IQV Stock Comparison

Fortrea Holdings, Icon 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
$2.32B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.68B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
1 win
ICLR Icon Plc
$182.98 +6.2% 1M +0.5% 1Y
Market cap
$14.01B
P/E
32.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.23B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
4 wins
IQV Iqvia Holdings Inc.
$271.68 +0.7% 1M +25.0% 1Y
Market cap
$44.77B
P/E
32.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.31B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Iqvia Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Iqvia Holdings 6, Icon 4, Fortrea Holdings 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFTREICLRIQVLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.32B $14.01B $44.77B IQV
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -27.2x 32.0x 32.1x ICLR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 30.2x 17.9x 22.4x ICLR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -2.1% +1.8% +8.8% IQV
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -3.2% 5.4% 8.1% IQV
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -0.7% 4.7% 8.2% IQV
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 13.1x 2.3x 3.9x ICLR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — — — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +135.1% +0.5% +25.0% FTRE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years — -8.6%/yr +1.1%/yr IQV
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 70.3% 73.7% 40.3% IQV
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 81/100 71/100 ICLR

Percentile Scorecard

FTREICLRIQV

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

AxisFTREICLRIQV
Valuation 90 #2 of 11 100 #1 of 11 80 #3 of 11
Growth 60 #5 of 11 70 #4 of 11 80 #3 of 11
Profitability 50 #6 of 11 80 #3 of 11 90 #2 of 11
Financial Health 0 #13 of 13 75 #4 of 13 33 #9 of 13
Shareholder Returns – – –
Overall 50 81 71
  • FTRE ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • ICLR 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

PeriodFTREICLRIQVSPY
1 month +22.8%+6.2%+0.7% -0.2%
3 months +18.0%+1.5%+11.7% +3.9%
6 months +127.0%+78.5%+70.9% +8.2%
Year to date +41.6%+0.4%+20.5% +12.9%
1 year +135.1%+0.5%+25.0% +12.3%
3 years -11.3%-22.2%+51.0% +87.4%
3 years, per year -3.9%-8.0%+14.7% +23.3%
5 years —-36.1%+5.6% +67.9%
5 years, per year —-8.6%+1.1% +10.9%
10 years —+127.4%+276.8% +261.1%
10 years, per year —+8.6%+14.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureFTREICLRIQVSPY
Volatility, 1Y 70.3%73.7%40.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 63.6%87.6%39.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.011.440.74 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.920.010.62 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -89.9%-76.9%-51.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-9.8%-2.8% -1.2%
52-week high $24.43$202.92$279.38 $779.14
52-week low $8.87$80.08$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.

MultipleFTREICLRIQV
P/E now vs peer median -27.2xmedian 32.1x 32.0xmedian 32.1x 32.1xmedian 32.1x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 2.6x 1.7xmedian 2.6x 2.6xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 47.5xmedian 38.1x 15.2xmedian 38.1x 16.9xmedian 38.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.9xmedian 21.5x 16.3xmedian 21.5x 21.5xmedian 21.5x
P/B now vs peer median 4.4xmedian 3.1x 1.5xmedian 3.1x 6.6xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.57median 2.03 -13.47median 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 monthsFTREICLRIQV
Revenue $2.68B $8.23B $17.31B
Gross profit $516.60M $1.93B $5.72B
Operating income -$10.80M $718.25M $2.22B
Net income -$85.20M $448.66M $1.40B
Free cash flow $196.00M $857.06M $2.08B
EPS (diluted) $-0.90 $5.68 $8.35
Cash & equivalents $168.60M $808.98M $2.25B
Total debt $1.05B $3.38B $16.07B
Shares (diluted) 94.80M 78.97M 167.00M
Enterprise value $1.70B $10.78B $36.16B

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
MetricFTREICLRIQV
P/E -27.2x 32.0x 32.1x
P/FCF 11.9x 16.3x 21.5x
P/Operating cash flow 10.2x 13.6x 16.4x
P/S 0.9x 1.7x 2.6x
P/B 4.4x 1.5x 6.6x
P/Tangible book -37.1x 2.3x 21.8x
EV/EBITDA 47.5x 15.2x 16.9x
EV/EBIT -297.1x 23.1x 26.3x
EV/Revenue 1.2x 2.0x 3.4x
EV/FCF 16.4x 19.3x 28.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.1x 16.1x 21.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.57 -13.47 2.78

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFTREICLRIQV
Revenue growth (1Y) -2.1% 1.8% 8.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -0.1% 0.9% 5.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -4.2% -13.4% 6.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -10.2% -6.5% 3.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 98.8% 53.9% 1.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -27.7% -7.0% 6.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 91.7% 55.9% 9.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -38.4% -4.4% 7.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 92.1% 30.1% 11.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -47.7% -2.4% 11.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 359.7% -9.9% -2.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.4% 15.8% 11.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 290.1% -11.1% -6.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.8% 18.4% 16.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFTREICLRIQV
Gross margin 19.3% 23.4% 33.1%
EBITDA margin 2.5% 13.3% 20.0%
Operating margin -0.4% 8.7% 12.8%
Pretax margin -2.9% 6.3% 9.0%
Net margin -3.2% 5.4% 8.1%
FCF margin 7.3% 10.4% 12.0%
Operating cash flow margin 8.5% 12.5% 15.8%
Return on equity -16.2% 7.6% 21.4%
Return on assets -3.2% 4.3% 4.6%
Return on invested capital -0.7% 4.7% 8.2%
Return on capital employed -0.6% 5.3% 9.9%
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.5x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -2.7x 2.3x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 1.1% 1.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFTREICLRIQV
Debt / assets 38.8% 20.8% 52.7%
Debt / equity 2.0x 0.4x 2.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 13.1x 2.3x 3.9x
Debt / FCF 5.4x 3.9x 7.7x
Liabilities / assets 80.7% 43.8% 77.7%
Equity / assets 19.3% 56.2% 22.3%
Interest coverage – 3.4x 2.8x
Current ratio 1.0x 1.3x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.9x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 0.86 2.07 2.27

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFTREICLRIQV
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield – 2.7% 2.6%
Shareholder yield – 2.7% 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.

ConsensusFTREICLRIQV
Forward P/E 30.2xFY2026 17.9xFY2026 22.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.81FY2026 $10.25FY2026 $12.14FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +88.4%FY2026 -18.2%FY2026 +1.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +22.2% +22.2% +13.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.77BFY2026 $8.52BFY2026 $18.58BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.7%FY2026 +3.2%FY2026 +13.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.4% -3.2% -3.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFTREICLRIQV
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 94.1%
Institutions holding 329 422 1,083
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.2% +5.5% +0.3%
Institutions buying 139 233 530
Institutions selling 108 138 424
Buyers to sellers 1.29 1.69 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.

FTREICLRIQV
FTRE 1.00 0.47 0.57
ICLR 0.47 1.00 0.55
IQV 0.57 0.55 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FTRE, ICLR and IQV?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) is the largest by market capitalisation: Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) $2.32B, Icon (ICLR) $14.01B, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) $44.77B.

Which stock is cheaper, FTRE, ICLR and IQV?

Icon (ICLR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -27.2x, Icon (ICLR) 32.0x, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 32.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Icon (ICLR) is cheapest (Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) 30.2x, Icon (ICLR) 17.9x, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 22.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -2.1%, Icon (ICLR) +1.8%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +8.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) has the highest net margin (Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -3.2%, Icon (ICLR) 5.4%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.1%). On return on invested capital, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) leads (Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) -0.7%, Icon (ICLR) 4.7%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) returned the most: Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) +135.1%, Icon (ICLR) +0.5%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +25.0%. Over five years, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) compounded fastest (Icon (ICLR) -8.6%/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 (Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) 70.3%, Icon (ICLR) 73.7%, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 40.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, FTRE, ICLR 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 6. 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.