IQV vs LDOS vs MEDP Stock Comparison

Iqvia Holdings, Leidos Holdings and Medpace Holdings Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
IQV Iqvia Holdings Inc.
$279.38 +4.2% 1M +27.0% 1Y
Market cap
$45.49B
P/E
33.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.98B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
2 wins
LDOS Leidos Holdings, Inc.
$136.05 +9.1% 1M -28.9% 1Y
Market cap
$17.60B
P/E
12.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.63B
Div. yield
0.01%
Defense Industrials
5 wins
MEDP Medpace Holdings, Inc.
$669.20 +8.4% 1M +12.2% 1Y
Market cap
$18.91B
P/E
36.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.84B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Leidos Holdings leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Leidos Holdings 5, Medpace Holdings 4, Iqvia Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIQVLDOSMEDPLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $45.49B $17.60B $18.91B IQV
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.1x 12.8x 36.5x LDOS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.0x 10.7x 38.9x LDOS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.2% +3.4% +20.4% MEDP
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.1% 7.8% 18.2% MEDP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.3% 13.9% — LDOS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.1x 2.3x — LDOS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +27.0% -28.9% +12.2% IQV
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.7%/yr +5.9%/yr +29.1%/yr MEDP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.3% 35.5% 45.5% LDOS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 65/100 71/100 75/100 MEDP

Percentile Scorecard

IQVLDOSMEDP

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

AxisIQVLDOSMEDP
Valuation 80 #3 of 11 98 #3 of 100 50 #6 of 11
Growth 80 #3 of 11 58 #41 of 97 100 #1 of 11
Profitability 90 #2 of 11 84 #16 of 96 100 #1 of 11
Financial Health 8 #12 of 13 36 #68 of 106 50 #7 of 13
Shareholder Returns – 77 #16 of 65 –
Overall 65 71 75
  • IQV ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • LDOS ranked among 107 companies in Aerospace and Defense
  • 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

PeriodIQVLDOSMEDPSPY
1 month +4.2%+9.1%+8.4% -1.0%
3 months +34.4%+21.3%+11.3% +2.9%
6 months +72.2%-6.9%+63.0% +6.4%
Year to date +23.9%-24.6%+19.1% +11.4%
1 year +27.0%-28.9%+12.2% +13.1%
3 years +49.6%+49.5%+145.8% +79.4%
3 years, per year +14.4%+14.4%+35.0% +21.5%
5 years +8.8%+33.3%+257.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year +1.7%+5.9%+29.1% +10.9%
10 years +277.4%+224.5%+2,038.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year +14.2%+12.5%+35.8% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureIQVLDOSMEDPSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.3%35.5%45.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 39.3%37.0%54.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.730.240.66 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.67-0.820.27 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.5%-50.3%-42.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-31.8%0.0% -2.5%
52-week high $279.38$199.55$669.20 $779.14
52-week low $156.66$100.00$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.

MultipleIQVLDOSMEDP
P/E now vs peer median 33.7xmedian 36.1x 12.5xmedian 26.2x 36.1xmedian 36.1x
P/S now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 2.7x 1.0xmedian 2.9x 6.6xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.6xmedian 37.4x 9.6xmedian 14.7x 28.4xmedian 37.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 21.1xmedian 21.1x 7.9xmedian 24.9x 28.0xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 7.3xmedian 2.9x 3.2xmedian 2.4x 32.0xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 2.84median 2.05 0.44median 0.92 1.27median 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 monthsIQVLDOSMEDP
Revenue $16.98B $17.63B $2.84B
Gross profit $5.60B $3.14B $827.16M
Operating income $2.20B $2.03B $607.14M
Net income $1.38B $1.40B $517.83M
Free cash flow $2.18B $2.16B $667.63M
EPS (diluted) $8.22 $10.92 $18.25
Cash & equivalents $1.91B $748.00M $705.32M
Total debt $16.00B $21.66B –
Shares (diluted) 167.30M 126.00M 28.37M
Enterprise value $37.19B $14.32B $16.55B

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
MetricIQVLDOSMEDP
P/E 33.7x 12.5x 36.1x
P/FCF 21.1x 7.9x 28.0x
P/Operating cash flow 16.3x 7.4x 25.9x
P/S 2.7x 1.0x 6.6x
P/B 7.3x 3.2x 32.0x
P/Tangible book 29.6x 3.9x 33.9x
EV/EBITDA 17.6x 9.6x 28.4x
EV/EBIT 27.2x 11.0x 29.7x
EV/Revenue 3.5x 1.3x 6.3x
EV/FCF 27.4x 10.3x 27.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.3x 9.7x 24.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.84 0.44 1.27

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIQVLDOSMEDP
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.2% 3.4% 20.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 5.9% 16.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.1% 4.8% 12.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.1% 14.4% 18.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.0% -0.4% 19.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 21.1% 23.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 11.5% -0.8% 19.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 24.8% 23.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 15.1% 1.3% 21.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 11.9% 28.6% 28.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.7% 54.9% 1.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.9% 35.7% 20.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 8.7% 63.2% -1.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 41.7% 20.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIQVLDOSMEDP
Gross margin 33.0% 17.8% 29.1%
EBITDA margin 20.1% 13.2% 22.4%
Operating margin 13.0% 11.5% 21.4%
Pretax margin 9.3% 10.2% 22.1%
Net margin 8.1% 7.8% 18.2%
FCF margin 12.9% 12.3% 23.5%
Operating cash flow margin 16.6% 13.0% 25.5%
Return on equity 21.8% 26.8% 101.7%
Return on assets 4.6% 9.0% 23.8%
Return on invested capital 8.3% 13.9% –
Return on capital employed 10.5% 16.5% 88.8%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.1x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.6x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.6% 0.6% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIQVLDOSMEDP
Debt / assets 53.5% 38.6% –
Debt / equity 2.5x 1.1x –
Net debt / EBITDA 4.1x 2.3x –
Debt / FCF 7.3x 2.8x –
Liabilities / assets 78.9% 65.9% 74.6%
Equity / assets 21.1% 34.1% 25.4%
Interest coverage 2.9x – –
Current ratio 0.7x 1.6x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.4x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 2.25 3.17 8.28

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIQVLDOSMEDP
Dividend yield – 1.3% –
Net buyback yield 2.5% 3.9% 1.3%
Shareholder yield 2.5% 5.1% 1.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 15.5% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 10.0% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 2.8% –

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.

ConsensusIQVLDOSMEDP
Forward P/E 23.0xFY2026 10.7xFY2026 38.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.14FY2026 $12.75FY2026 $17.19FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.8%FY2026 +6.3%FY2026 +12.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.4% -9.0% +8.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $18.58BFY2026 $17.52BFY2026 $2.94BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.9%FY2026 +2.0%FY2026 +16.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.5% +14.9% +6.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIQVLDOSMEDP
Held by institutions 94.1% 79.3% 87.8%
Institutions holding 1,083 773 693
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.3% +4.1% +3.2%
Institutions buying 530 380 279
Institutions selling 424 294 302
Buyers to sellers 1.25 1.29 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.

IQVLDOSMEDP
IQV 1.00 0.17 0.56
LDOS 0.17 1.00 0.14
MEDP 0.56 0.14 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IQV, LDOS and MEDP?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) is the largest by market capitalisation: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) $45.49B, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) $17.60B, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) $18.91B.

Which stock is cheaper, IQV, LDOS and MEDP?

Leidos Holdings (LDOS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 33.1x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 12.8x, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 36.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) is cheapest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 23.0x, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 10.7x, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 38.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Medpace Holdings (MEDP) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +8.2%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +3.4%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) +20.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Medpace Holdings (MEDP) has the highest net margin (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.1%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 7.8%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 18.2%). On return on invested capital, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) leads (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.3%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 13.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Iqvia Holdings (IQV) returned the most: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +27.0%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) -28.9%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) +12.2%. Over five years, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) compounded fastest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +1.7%/yr, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) +5.9%/yr, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) +29.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 0.00%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 0.01%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 0.00%. Iqvia Holdings (IQV) and Medpace Holdings (MEDP) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) has been the steadiest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 40.3%, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) 35.5%, Medpace Holdings (MEDP) 45.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, IQV, LDOS 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, Leidos Holdings (LDOS) leads on 5. 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.