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ICLR vs. QGEN: ICON vs. Qiagen Stock Comparison

How do ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN) are both classified in the Life Sciences Tools & Services sub-industry within the broader Life Sciences Tools & Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
Profile ItemICLRQGEN
NameICON plcQiagen N.V.
Country/RegionIrelandNetherlands
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life SciencesPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryLife Sciences Tools & ServicesLife Sciences Tools & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryLife Sciences Tools & ServicesLife Sciences Tools & Services
Market Capitalization15.34 billion USD10.39 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateMay 15, 1998June 28, 1996
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ICLR
QGEN
GSPC
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
MetricICLRQGEN
Total Return (1Y)30.55%17.09%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-6.05%10.44%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-5.40%-0.72%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ICLR
QGEN
GSPC
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
MetricICLRQGEN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)68.62%35.52%
Beta (5Y)1.170.56
Max Drawdown (5Y)-76.87%-41.97%
Avg. Volume (3M)943.50K3.68M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ICLR and QGEN are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
MetricICLRQGEN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.380.36
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.520.60

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Qiagen (QGEN) at 10.81% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ICON (ICLR) at 4.70% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for QGEN.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.70%

Max
109.18%
Q3
6.23%
ICLR
4.70%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

10.81%

Max
109.18%
QGEN
10.81%
Q3
6.23%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Qiagen (QGEN) at 18.20% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and ICON (ICLR) at 5.26% also retains a top-quartile share.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.26%

Max
18.05%
ICLR
5.26%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

18.20%

QGEN
18.20%
Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Qiagen (QGEN) at 27.75% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of ICON (ICLR) at 10.73%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

10.73%

Max
83.12%
Q3
14.77%
ICLR
10.73%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

27.75%

Max
83.12%
QGEN
27.75%
Q3
14.77%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
MetricICLRQGEN
ROE (TTM)4.70%10.81%
ROA (TTM)0.85%5.68%
Net Margin (TTM)5.26%18.20%
Operating Margin (TTM)10.73%27.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)23.44%67.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both ICON (ICLR) at 0.76% and Qiagen (QGEN) at 5.65% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Qiagen (QGEN) at 409.76% delivers above-range EPS growth, while ICON (ICLR) at -71.56% falls into the bottom quartile — a wide split in earnings momentum.

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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
MetricICLRQGEN
Revenue Growth (YoY)0.76%5.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)2.15%-0.81%
EPS Growth (YoY)-71.56%409.76%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-23.82%-0.19%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Qiagen (QGEN) at 2.63 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while ICON (ICLR) at 1.32 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ICLR.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.32

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
ICLR
1.32
Min
0.10

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.63

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
QGEN
2.63
Q1
2.47
Min
0.10
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both ICON (ICLR) at 0.38 and Qiagen (QGEN) at 0.47 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.38

Max
1.42
Q3
0.65
ICLR
0.38
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.47

Max
1.42
Q3
0.65
QGEN
0.47
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
MetricICLRQGEN
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.322.63
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.380.47
Net Debt / EBITDA5.551.08

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

ICON (ICLR) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Qiagen (QGEN) reports a yield of 0.71%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

ICLR
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.71%

QGEN
0.71%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

ICON (ICLR) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Qiagen (QGEN) reports a payout of 18.21%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

ICLR
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

18.21%

QGEN
18.21%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
MetricICLRQGEN
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.71%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%18.21%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Qiagen (QGEN) at 27.21 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while ICON (ICLR) at 81.90 sits in the richer quartile — ICLR needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

81.90

Max
85.34
ICLR
81.90
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

27.21

Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
QGEN
27.21
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

ICON (ICLR) at 1.86 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Qiagen (QGEN) at 4.91 prices around its industry’s middle — ICLR costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.86

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
ICLR
1.86
Min
0.01

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.91

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
QGEN
4.91
Q1
3.01
Min
0.01
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

ICON (ICLR) at 1.68 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Qiagen (QGEN) at 2.99 is valued near its industry’s middle — ICLR is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.68

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
Q1
1.69
ICLR
1.68
Min
-5.59

QGEN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.99

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
QGEN
2.99
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59
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ICON (ICLR) vs. Qiagen (QGEN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Qiagen (QGEN)
MetricICLRQGEN
P/E Ratio (TTM)81.9027.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.864.91
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.682.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.51%3.62%