Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) Stock Jumps 6.7% – Here’s Why

Posted by Brian Himes on Oct 21st, 2026

Icon Plc (NASDAQ:ICLR – Get Free Report) shares were up 6.7% on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $185.56 and last traded at $185.78. 366,576 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 1,246,171 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.19.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ICLR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Icon from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. William Blair raised shares of Icon to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 target price (up from $207.00) on shares of Icon in a research note on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Icon from $160.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Icon in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Icon has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $174.73.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Icon

Icon Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $14.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.53, a P/E/G ratio of 10.87 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $150.36.

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical research company reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. Icon had a net margin of 3.99% and a return on equity of 8.02%. Icon’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.26 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Icon Plc will post 9.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Icon

In other Icon news, Director Eugene Mccague sold 3,255 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $569,625.00. Following the sale, the director owned 3,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $666,925. This represents a 46.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ciaran Murray sold 2,677 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.29, for a total value of $439,804.33. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,452 shares in the company, valued at $3,360,059.08. This trade represents a 11.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 22,796 shares of company stock worth $3,887,139 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 44.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Icon

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Icon by 21.4% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 391 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Icon by 207.5% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 658 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Icon by 1,062.0% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 918 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 839 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Icon by 120.0% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 616 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Icon by 804.8% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,312 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.61% of the company’s stock.

About Icon

(Get Free Report)

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.

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