Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. Takes Position in Icon Plc $ICLR

Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Icon Plc (NASDAQ:ICLR) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,253 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,144,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ICLR. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its position in Icon by 67.4% in the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 7,184,870 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,045,039,000 after buying an additional 2,893,946 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Icon by 21.0% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,752,008 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $545,730,000 after acquiring an additional 650,379 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Icon by 739.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,277,293 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $573,526,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886,755 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Icon by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,085,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $448,858,000 after purchasing an additional 98,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd increased its holdings in Icon by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,006,141 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $526,075,000 after purchasing an additional 12,489 shares during the last quarter. 95.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Icon

Here are the key news stories impacting Icon this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $105 price target, indicating some analyst conviction there remains upside versus current levels. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data appears anomalous (0 shares reported, 0.0 days to cover) and likely reflects a data glitch rather than meaningful new shorting pressure; not a primary driver of today’s move.
• Negative Sentiment: ICON announced an internal investigation (Audit Committee) into accounting practices and delayed release of fourth-quarter and full‑year 2025 earnings, creating uncertainty around reported results and timing. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say the probe includes scrutiny of revenue recognition for fiscal 2023–2025; that disclosure triggered a steep intraday selloff and prompted further regulatory / shareholder attention. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: ICON pulled its 2025 outlook amid the probe — removing guidance increases short‑term uncertainty for revenue and margin forecasts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple plaintiff and shareholder‑rights law firms (e.g., Frank R. Cruz, Rosen, Hagens Berman, Holzer & Holzer, Ademi LLP, Block & Leviton, Johnson Fistel) have announced investigations or encouraged investor contact, signaling heightened litigation risk. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary and research notes now expect weaker near‑term earnings (Zacks flagged expectations for an earnings decline); Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating with a $75 target, adding downside analyst pressure. Read More.

Icon Price Performance

ICLR stock opened at $80.08 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $177.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.27. Icon Plc has a 1 year low of $66.57 and a 1 year high of $211.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ICLR. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Icon in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded Icon from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Icon in a research report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Icon in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Icon in a research note on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.93.

Icon Profile

Icon plc (NASDAQ: ICLR) is a global provider of outsourced drug development and clinical research services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The company partners with clients at all stages of the product life cycle, offering expertise in protocol design, trial execution and regulatory compliance across a broad range of therapeutic areas.

Icon’s service portfolio encompasses clinical trial management, data management and biostatistics, medical imaging, pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring, laboratory sciences and specialized analytical solutions.