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A or CRL or IQV
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Agilent Technologies (A) vs. Charles River Laboratories (CRL) vs. IQVIA Holdings (IQV) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Agilent Technologies (A), Charles River Laboratories (CRL), and IQVIA Holdings (IQV) operate in the life sciences and healthcare services sector, with exposure to diagnostics, research services, and drug development.
- Recent market activity shows CRL and IQV reporting first-quarter 2026 earnings beats in early May, while A is scheduled to release second-quarter results on May 27.
- Year-to-date performance through late May 2026 indicates CRL leading with approximately +19.6% returns, followed by A at +15.2%, with IQV experiencing a year-to-date decline amid broader sector pressures.
- All three companies maintain analyst consensus ratings of Buy, with price targets implying potential upside from recent closing levels near $115 for A, $160 for CRL, and $168 for IQV.
- Sector exposure to biopharmaceutical demand, research and development spending, and contract services creates shared growth drivers alongside valuation sensitivity to interest rates and clinical trial activity.
- Relative momentum favors recent earnings performers CRL and IQV, while A demonstrates steadier multi-quarter order trends in its core analytical instruments business.
Introduction
This comparison examines Agilent Technologies (A), Charles River Laboratories (CRL), and IQVIA Holdings (IQV), three companies providing essential tools, services, and data solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostics industries. Traders and investors focused on the healthcare and life sciences sectors may find this analysis relevant when evaluating relative performance, earnings momentum, and positioning within a market environment influenced by research and development budgets, regulatory developments, and macroeconomic factors affecting capital allocation.
Agilent Technologies (A) Overview and Recent Performance
Agilent Technologies (A) develops analytical instruments, software, and services used in life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. In recent market activity, the stock has traded in a range influenced by order trends and broader life sciences demand. Year-to-date returns reached approximately 15.2% through late May 2026, outperforming the S&P 500 benchmark in that period, though one-year returns lagged the broader market. Recent weeks highlighted continued strength in the clinical business and a book-to-bill ratio above 1.0x, supporting sentiment ahead of the company’s second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings release scheduled for May 27. Analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating with average price targets around $163.
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) Overview and Recent Performance
Charles River Laboratories (CRL) provides contract research and manufacturing services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients, including drug discovery, safety assessment, and clinical support. Recent market activity reflects a first-quarter 2026 earnings beat reported in early May, with revenue of $995.8 million exceeding expectations and non-GAAP earnings per share of $2.06. Year-to-date returns stood near 19.6% through late May 2026, leading the peer group, while the stock experienced volatility within a 52-week range extending from the low $130s to above $220. Sentiment benefited from steady demand for drug development services, with analysts holding a Buy consensus and price targets averaging near $208.
IQVIA Holdings (IQV) Overview and Recent Performance
IQVIA Holdings (IQV) delivers technology-enabled healthcare data, analytics, and contract research services supporting clinical development and commercial operations. Recent market activity followed a first-quarter 2026 earnings beat in early May, with adjusted earnings per share of $2.90 surpassing estimates and revenue of $4.15 billion. The stock traded near $168 in late May 2026 after an initial post-earnings surge, contributing to a year-to-date decline of approximately 25.5% while delivering a one-year gain of about 22.4%. Broader sentiment remains supported by AI-driven growth initiatives and resilient fundamentals, with analysts maintaining a consensus Buy rating and average price targets near $227–$230.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
Agilent Technologies (A) focuses on precision instruments and laboratory solutions, contrasting with the contract research and services models of Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and IQVIA Holdings (IQV). Growth drivers for A center on analytical instrumentation demand in biopharma and diagnostics, while CRL and IQV benefit from outsourced clinical trial and drug development activity. Recent momentum has favored CRL and IQV following earnings beats, whereas A shows steadier order recovery. Risk factors include exposure to research spending cycles for all three, with CRL and IQV additionally sensitive to clinical trial delays and IQV carrying notable valuation sensitivity to interest rates given its scale. Sector exposure remains concentrated in life sciences, though A offers greater diversification into applied markets. Market sentiment reflects analyst optimism across the group, tempered by differing year-to-date trajectories.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors such as recent earnings consistency, relative year-to-date positioning, and sector tailwinds, Tickeron’s AI would currently assign a probabilistic edge to Charles River Laboratories (CRL) among the three, citing its leading year-to-date performance and confirmed first-quarter beat. IQVIA Holdings (IQV) follows closely due to its post-earnings momentum and AI-related initiatives, while Agilent Technologies (A) presents a stable profile ahead of its upcoming results. This assessment reflects relative trend consistency and catalyst visibility rather than absolute predictions.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
A’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileCRL’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s), and IQV’s FA Score reflects 0 green FA rating(s).
- A’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- CRL’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- IQV’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
A’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while CRL’s TA Score has 7 bullish TA indicator(s), and IQV’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- A’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 6 bearish.
- CRL’s TA Score: 7 bullish, 3 bearish.
- IQV’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
A (@Medical Specialties) experienced а -6.37% price change this week, while CRL (@Medical Specialties) price change was +1.22% , and IQV (@Medical Specialties) price fluctuated -3.11% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Medical Specialties industry was -3.49%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +16.29%, and the average quarterly price growth was -4.45%.
Reported Earning Dates
A is expected to report earnings on Aug 18, 2026.
CRL is expected to report earnings on Aug 12, 2026.
IQV is expected to report earnings on Jul 28, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Medical Specialties (-3.49% weekly)Medical specialties are companies that make equipment used by the health care industry. Equipment manufactured and distributed by these companies include dialysis machines, blood analysis equipment, surgical equipment, dental instruments, and diagnostic tools, among other items. Large companies typically aim to produce and distribute high-quality products across a broad market spectrum. Smaller firms are more likely to specialize in a particular market segment. Due to the industry’s close association with medical treatments, they typically have low sensitivity to macroeconomic fluctuations. Within this industry, Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic Plc and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. are some of the companies with multi-billion market capitalizations in the U.S. stock markets.
| A | CRL | IQV | |
| Capitalization | 36.6B | 9.06B | 30.2B |
| EBITDA | 1.96B | 291M | 3.52B |
| Gain YTD | -4.404 | -5.725 | -19.675 |
| P/E Ratio | 26.01 | 577.05 | 22.49 |
| Revenue | 7.23B | 4.03B | 16.6B |
| Total Cash | 1.81B | 192M | 2.1B |
| Total Debt | 3.36B | 3.06B | 16.1B |
A | CRL | IQV | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 37 | 22 | 12 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 6 Undervalued | 89 Overvalued | 62 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 95 | 100 | 100 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 44 | 94 | 42 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 43 | 43 | 50 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 64 | 1 | 48 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | n/a | 85 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
A's Valuation (6) in the Biotechnology industry is somewhat better than the same rating for IQV (62) in the Servicestothe Health Industry industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for CRL (89) in the Miscellaneous Commercial Services industry. This means that A's stock grew somewhat faster than IQV’s and significantly faster than CRL’s over the last 12 months.
A's Profit vs Risk Rating (95) in the Biotechnology industry is in the same range as IQV (100) in the Servicestothe Health Industry industry, and is in the same range as CRL (100) in the Miscellaneous Commercial Services industry. This means that A's stock grew similarly to IQV’s and similarly to CRL’s over the last 12 months.
IQV's SMR Rating (42) in the Servicestothe Health Industry industry is in the same range as A (44) in the Biotechnology industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for CRL (94) in the Miscellaneous Commercial Services industry. This means that IQV's stock grew similarly to A’s and somewhat faster than CRL’s over the last 12 months.
A's Price Growth Rating (43) in the Biotechnology industry is in the same range as CRL (43) in the Miscellaneous Commercial Services industry, and is in the same range as IQV (50) in the Servicestothe Health Industry industry. This means that A's stock grew similarly to CRL’s and similarly to IQV’s over the last 12 months.
CRL's P/E Growth Rating (1) in the Miscellaneous Commercial Services industry is somewhat better than the same rating for IQV (48) in the Servicestothe Health Industry industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for A (64) in the Biotechnology industry. This means that CRL's stock grew somewhat faster than IQV’s and somewhat faster than A’s over the last 12 months.
| A | CRL | IQV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 68% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 67% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 69% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 1 day ago 71% | 1 day ago 68% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 64% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 58% | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 62% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 8 days ago 60% | 3 days ago 69% | 3 days ago 58% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 62% | 25 days ago 70% | 1 day ago 65% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 54% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 69% | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 53% |
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IQV and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, IQV has been closely correlated with CRL. These tickers have moved in lockstep 75% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if IQV jumps, then CRL could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To IQV | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IQV | 100% | -0.61% | ||
| CRL - IQV | 75% Closely correlated | +0.95% | ||
| TMO - IQV | 71% Closely correlated | -1.32% | ||
| MEDP - IQV | 69% Closely correlated | +1.97% | ||
| RVTY - IQV | 66% Loosely correlated | +0.23% | ||
| A - IQV | 63% Loosely correlated | -1.57% | ||
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