IQV vs GH vs MEDP Stock Comparison

Iqvia Holdings, Guardant Health and Medpace Holdings Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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IQV Iqvia Holdings Inc.
$274.96 +2.2% 1M +26.2% 1Y
Market cap
$43.94B
P/E
31.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.31B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
4 wins
GH Guardant Health, Inc.
$185.31 +4.3% 1M +156.4% 1Y
Market cap
$23.74B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$1.18B
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
2 wins
MEDP Medpace Holdings, Inc.
$677.56 +8.9% 1M +15.9% 1Y
Market cap
$18.19B
P/E
35.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.84B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

Iqvia Holdings leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Iqvia Holdings 4, Medpace Holdings 3, Guardant Health 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIQVGHMEDPLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $43.94B $23.74B $18.19B IQV
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 31.5x -52.3x 35.1x IQV
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.6x — 38.1x IQV
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.8% +42.7% +20.4% GH
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.1% -38.3% 18.2% MEDP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.2% — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.9x — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +26.2% +156.4% +15.9% GH
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.0%/yr +9.7%/yr +24.5%/yr MEDP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.4% 57.3% 45.6% IQV
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 28/100 78/100 MEDP

Percentile Scorecard

IQVGHMEDP

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

AxisIQVGHMEDP
Valuation 80 #3 of 11 18 #76 of 92 60 #5 of 11
Growth 80 #3 of 11 48 #46 of 87 100 #1 of 11
Profitability 90 #2 of 11 7 #80 of 86 100 #1 of 11
Financial Health 33 #9 of 13 55 #44 of 97 50 #7 of 13
Shareholder Returns – 15 #47 of 55 –
Overall 71 28 78
  • IQV ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • GH ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • MEDP ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodIQVGHMEDPSPY
1 month +2.2%+4.3%+8.9% +0.7%
3 months +15.6%+21.6%+17.2% +3.7%
6 months +73.6%+112.8%+61.8% +7.1%
Year to date +22.0%+81.4%+20.6% +12.8%
1 year +26.2%+156.4%+15.9% +11.9%
3 years +55.2%+631.6%+180.2% +85.2%
3 years, per year +15.8%+94.2%+41.0% +22.8%
5 years +5.2%+58.7%+199.1% +67.6%
5 years, per year +1.0%+9.7%+24.5% +10.9%
10 years +283.1%—+2,245.3% +262.0%
10 years, per year +14.4%—+37.1% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureIQVGHMEDPSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.4%57.3%45.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 39.3%48.9%53.9% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.741.030.69 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.652.730.35 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.5%-86.7%-42.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -1.6%-1.0%-2.2% -1.2%
52-week high $279.38$187.22$692.68 $779.14
52-week low $156.66$72.27$393.42 $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.

MultipleIQVGHMEDP
P/E now vs peer median 32.5xmedian 36.6x -54.3xmedian 26.0x 36.6xmedian 36.6x
P/S now vs peer median 2.6xmedian 2.6x 20.9xmedian 1.6x 6.7xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.0xmedian 31.1x -54.9xmedian 15.4x 28.8xmedian 31.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 21.8xmedian 21.8x -102.9xmedian 21.5x 28.4xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 6.7xmedian 3.1x -111.1xmedian 3.2x 32.4xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 2.82median 2.05 -5.47median 0.87 1.28median 2.05

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 monthsIQVGHMEDP
Revenue $17.31B $1.18B $2.84B
Gross profit $5.72B $769.16M $827.16M
Operating income $2.22B -$470.26M $607.14M
Net income $1.40B -$453.44M $517.83M
Free cash flow $2.08B -$240.72M $667.63M
R&D – $375.79M –
EPS (diluted) $8.35 $-3.41 $18.25
Cash & equivalents $2.25B $1.05B $705.32M
Total debt $16.07B – –
Shares (diluted) 167.00M 132.87M 28.37M
Enterprise value $35.20B $19.80B $15.83B

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
MetricIQVGHMEDP
P/E 32.5x -54.3x 36.6x
P/FCF 21.8x -102.9x 28.4x
P/Operating cash flow 16.6x -133.7x 26.2x
P/S 2.6x 20.9x 6.7x
P/B 6.7x -111.1x 32.4x
P/Tangible book 22.1x -99.8x 34.3x
EV/EBITDA 17.0x -54.9x 28.8x
EV/EBIT 26.6x -50.4x 30.0x
EV/Revenue 3.4x 20.0x 6.4x
EV/FCF 28.4x -98.5x 27.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.5x -128.0x 25.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.82 -5.47 1.28

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIQVGHMEDP
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.8% 42.7% 20.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 32.4% 16.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 6.6% 47.7% 12.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.4% – 18.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.7% -2.1% 19.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.2% 4.8% 23.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 9.0% -9.6% 19.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 3.7% 23.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 11.7% -2.4% 21.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 11.5% 9.9% 28.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -2.4% 22.4% 1.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.7% 18.1% 20.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -6.0% 11.4% -1.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.3% 14.4% 20.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIQVGHMEDP
Gross margin 33.1% 65.0% 29.1%
EBITDA margin 20.0% -36.5% 22.4%
Operating margin 12.8% -39.7% 21.4%
Pretax margin 9.0% -38.4% 22.1%
Net margin 8.1% -38.3% 18.2%
FCF margin 12.0% -20.3% 23.5%
Operating cash flow margin 15.8% -15.7% 25.5%
Return on equity 21.4% – 101.7%
Return on assets 4.6% -23.7% 23.8%
Return on invested capital 8.2% – –
Return on capital employed 9.9% -29.9% 88.8%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.6x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 0.4x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.8% 16.2% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIQVGHMEDP
Debt / assets 52.7% – –
Debt / equity 2.4x – –
Net debt / EBITDA 3.9x – –
Debt / FCF 7.7x – –
Liabilities / assets 77.7% 111.7% 74.6%
Equity / assets 22.3% -11.7% 25.4%
Interest coverage 2.8x -97.6x –
Current ratio 0.8x 4.0x 0.8x
Quick ratio 1.0x 3.5x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.3x 3.1x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 2.29 5.05 8.36

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIQVGHMEDP
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield 2.6% -1.6% 1.3%
Shareholder yield 2.6% -1.6% 1.3%
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.

ConsensusIQVGHMEDP
Forward P/E 22.6xFY2026 – 38.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.14FY2026 $-3.33FY2026 $17.80FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.8%FY2026 – +16.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.3% – +6.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $18.58BFY2026 $1.42BFY2026 $2.94BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.9%FY2026 +44.5%FY2026 +16.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.5% +27.0% +6.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIQVGHMEDP
Held by institutions 94.1% 100.0% 87.8%
Institutions holding 1,084 595 694
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.3% -2.6% +3.2%
Institutions buying 531 354 279
Institutions selling 424 180 303
Buyers to sellers 1.25 1.97 0.92

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.

IQVGHMEDP
IQV 1.00 0.30 0.56
GH 0.30 1.00 0.30
MEDP 0.56 0.30 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IQV, GH and MEDP?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) is the largest by market capitalisation: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) $43.94B, Guardant Health (GH) $23.74B, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) $18.19B.

Which stock is cheaper, IQV, GH and MEDP?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 31.5x, Guardant Health (GH) -52.3x, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 35.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) is cheapest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 22.6x, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 38.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Guardant Health (GH) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +8.8%, Guardant Health (GH) +42.7%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) +20.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Medpace Holdings (MEDP) has the highest net margin (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.1%, Guardant Health (GH) -38.3%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 18.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Guardant Health (GH) returned the most: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +26.2%, Guardant Health (GH) +156.4%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) +15.9%. Over five years, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) compounded fastest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +1.0%/yr, Guardant Health (GH) +9.7%/yr, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) +24.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) has been the steadiest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 40.4%, Guardant Health (GH) 57.3%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 45.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, IQV, GH and MEDP?

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 4. 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.