FTRE vs ICLR vs YDES Stock Comparison

Fortrea Holdings, Icon and YD Bio Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
FTRE Fortrea Holdings Inc.
$25.88 +29.0% 1M +143.7% 1Y
Market cap
$2.16B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.68B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
2 wins
ICLR Icon Plc
$214.16 +22.0% 1M +20.5% 1Y
Market cap
$16.91B
P/E
37.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.23B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
8 wins
YDES YD Bio Ltd
$6.28 -11.7% 1M -60.3% 1Y
Market cap
$420.33M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
—
Div. yield
–
Biotechnology Healthcare

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Icon leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Icon 8, Fortrea Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFTREICLRYDESLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.16B $16.91B $420.33M ICLR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -25.3x 37.7x — –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 32.0x 20.9x — ICLR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -2.1% +1.8% — ICLR
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -3.2% 5.4% — ICLR
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -0.7% 4.7% — ICLR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 13.1x 2.3x — ICLR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +143.7% +20.5% -60.3% FTRE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years — -5.7%/yr -9.1%/yr ICLR
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 70.5% 75.3% 134.8% FTRE
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 81/100 — ICLR

Percentile Scorecard

FTREICLRYDES

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

AxisFTREICLRYDES
Valuation 90 #2 of 11 100 #1 of 11 –
Growth 60 #5 of 11 70 #4 of 11 –
Profitability 50 #6 of 11 80 #3 of 11 –
Financial Health 0 #13 of 13 75 #4 of 13 39 #402 of 654
Shareholder Returns – – –
Overall 50 81 –
  • FTRE ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • ICLR ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • YDES ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodFTREICLRYDESSPY
1 month +29.0%+22.0%-11.7% +0.9%
3 months +26.9%+20.2%+176.7% +5.9%
6 months +145.1%+84.4%+21.0% +8.5%
Year to date +50.0%+17.5%-48.5% +13.3%
1 year +143.7%+20.5%-60.3% +12.4%
3 years -6.0%-9.0%-42.9% +88.1%
3 years, per year -2.0%-3.1%-17.1% +23.5%
5 years —-25.3%-38.1% +68.2%
5 years, per year —-5.7%-9.1% +11.0%
10 years —+166.6%— +263.4%
10 years, per year —+10.3%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureFTREICLRYDESSPY
Volatility, 1Y 70.5%75.3%134.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 63.6%87.9%132.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.011.480.37 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.040.27-0.45 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -89.9%-76.9%-91.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%0.0%-60.3% -0.9%
52-week high $25.88$214.16$15.80 $779.14
52-week low $8.87$80.08$1.90 $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.

MultipleFTREICLRYDES
P/E now vs peer median -28.8xmedian 37.4x 37.4xmedian 37.4x —median 17.4x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 2.7x 2.0xmedian 2.7x —median 9.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 49.6xmedian 39.5x 17.3xmedian 39.5x —median 17.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.6xmedian 22.1x 19.1xmedian 22.1x —median 19.0x
P/B now vs peer median 4.7xmedian 3.4x 1.8xmedian 3.4x 99.4xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.60median 2.08 -15.76median 2.08 —median 0.34

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 monthsFTREICLRYDES
Revenue $2.68B $8.23B –
Gross profit $516.60M $1.93B –
Operating income -$10.80M $718.25M –
Net income -$85.20M $448.66M –
Free cash flow $196.00M $857.06M –
EPS (diluted) $-0.90 $5.68 –
Cash & equivalents $168.60M $808.98M $2.66M
Total debt $1.05B $3.38B –
Shares (diluted) 94.80M 78.97M 66.72M
Enterprise value $1.54B $13.68B $408.06M

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
MetricFTREICLRYDES
P/E -28.8x 37.4x –
P/FCF 12.6x 19.1x –
P/Operating cash flow 10.8x 16.0x –
P/S 0.9x 2.0x –
P/B 4.7x 1.8x 99.4x
P/Tangible book -39.3x 2.7x 222.2x
EV/EBITDA 49.6x 17.3x –
EV/EBIT -309.9x 26.4x –
EV/Revenue 1.3x 2.3x –
EV/FCF 17.1x 22.1x –
EV/Operating cash flow 14.7x 18.5x –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.60 -15.76 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFTREICLRYDES
Revenue growth (1Y) -2.1% 1.8% –
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -0.1% 0.9% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) -4.2% -13.4% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -10.2% -6.5% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 98.8% 53.9% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -27.7% -7.0% –
Net income growth (1Y) 91.7% 55.9% –
Net income CAGR (3Y) -38.4% -4.4% –
EPS growth (1Y) 92.1% 30.1% –
EPS CAGR (3Y) -47.7% -2.4% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 359.7% -9.9% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.4% 15.8% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 290.1% -11.1% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.8% 18.4% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFTREICLRYDES
Gross margin 19.3% 23.4% –
EBITDA margin 2.5% 13.3% –
Operating margin -0.4% 8.7% –
Pretax margin -2.9% 6.3% –
Net margin -3.2% 5.4% –
FCF margin 7.3% 10.4% –
Operating cash flow margin 8.5% 12.5% –
Return on equity -16.2% 7.6% –
Return on assets -3.2% 4.3% –
Return on invested capital -0.7% 4.7% –
Return on capital employed -0.6% 5.3% –
Asset turnover 1.0x 0.5x –
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -2.7x 2.3x –
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 1.1% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFTREICLRYDES
Debt / assets 38.8% 20.8% –
Debt / equity 2.0x 0.4x –
Net debt / EBITDA 13.1x 2.3x –
Debt / FCF 5.4x 3.9x –
Liabilities / assets 80.7% 43.8% 55.5%
Equity / assets 19.3% 56.2% 44.5%
Interest coverage – 3.4x –
Current ratio 1.0x 1.3x 5.2x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.9x 2.7x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 2.5x
Altman Z-score 0.90 2.27 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFTREICLRYDES
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield – 2.3% –
Shareholder yield – 2.3% –
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.

ConsensusFTREICLRYDES
Forward P/E 32.0xFY2026 20.9xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $0.81FY2026 $10.25FY2026 –
EPS growth, next FY +88.4%FY2026 -18.2%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +22.2% +22.2% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.77BFY2026 $8.52BFY2026 –
Revenue growth, next FY +1.7%FY2026 +3.2%FY2026 –
Revenue growth, the year after -3.4% -3.2% –

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFTREICLRYDES
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% –
Institutions holding 329 422 –
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.2% +5.5% –
Institutions buying 139 233 –
Institutions selling 108 138 –
Buyers to sellers 1.29 1.69 –

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.

FTREICLRYDES
FTRE 1.00 0.47 0.03
ICLR 0.47 1.00 0.09
YDES 0.03 0.09 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FTRE, ICLR and YDES?

Icon (ICLR) is the largest by market capitalisation: Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) $2.16B, Icon (ICLR) $16.91B, YD Bio (YDES) $420.33M.

Which company is growing faster?

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

Which company is more profitable?

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

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) returned the most: Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) +143.7%, Icon (ICLR) +20.5%, YD Bio (YDES) -60.3%. Over five years, Icon (ICLR) compounded fastest (Icon (ICLR) -5.7%/yr, YD Bio (YDES) -9.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) has been the steadiest (Fortrea Holdings (FTRE) 70.5%, Icon (ICLR) 75.3%, YD Bio (YDES) 134.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, FTRE, ICLR and YDES?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Icon (ICLR) leads on 8. 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.