Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) Director Ciaran Murray Sells 3,452 Shares of Company Stock

Icon Plc (NASDAQ:ICLR) Director Ciaran Murray sold 3,452 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.66, for a total value of $709,938.32. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,496,220. The trade was a 16.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Ciaran Murray also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, August 11th, Ciaran Murray sold 2,677 shares of Icon stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.29, for a total value of $439,804.33.

Icon Stock Performance

NASDAQ ICLR opened at $203.11 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $146.83. Icon Plc has a 12-month low of $66.57 and a 12-month high of $219.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $15.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.96, a PEG ratio of 11.29 and a beta of 1.19.

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The medical research company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.04. Icon had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 7.73%. The business had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.31 EPS. Icon’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Icon Plc will post 9.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ICLR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of Icon in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Icon from $185.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Zacks Research raised Icon from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. William Blair raised Icon to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $254.00 price objective on shares of Icon in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Icon currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $213.76.

Institutional Trading of Icon

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ICLR. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Icon in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Icon by 21.4% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 391 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Icon by 120.0% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 616 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Icon by 30.0% during the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 866 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Icon by 1,062.0% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 918 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 839 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.61% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Icon

Here are the key news stories impacting Icon this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ICON’s consensus price target was reported to have risen 23.33% to $239.19, indicating improved analyst expectations. Article: ICON public limited consensus price target increased by 23.33% to $239.19
• Positive Sentiment: A report highlights ICON’s use of AI to accelerate clinical trials. If it improves trial speed or efficiency, this could support the company’s value proposition to drug developers, though the article does not quantify the financial impact. Article: ICON PLC (ICLR) Is Leveraging AI to Accelerate Clinical Trials
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Barry Balfe, CFO Bernard Clerkin, and CAO Emer Lyons reported share sales on November 2. The filings say these sales covered tax withholding on vested equity awards, making them less clear-cut as a bearish signal. Article: Insider Selling: ICON CAO Sells Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Director Ciaran Murray sold 3,452 shares, about 16.9% of his reported holdings. The report did not provide a reason for the sale, which may add to investor concern about insider selling. SEC filing for director share sale

Icon Company Profile

ICON plc is a global contract research organization that provides outsourced development services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies. The company supports clinical research programs from early development through late-stage trials, regulatory submission and post-marketing activities.

Its services include clinical trial management, medical and regulatory consulting, biostatistics, data management, pharmacovigilance, laboratory services and real-world evidence solutions.