ICLR vs. TECH: ICON vs. Bio-Techne Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do ICON (ICLR) and Bio-Techne (TECH) 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 Bio-Techne (TECH) 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 Bio-Techne (TECH)
Profile Item	ICLR	TECH
Name	ICON plc	Bio-Techne Corp.
Country/Region	Ireland	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services	Life Sciences Tools & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services	Life Sciences Tools & Services
Market Capitalization	15.34 billion USD	11.43 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	May 15, 1998	February 9, 1989
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ICLR

TECH

GSPC

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for ICON (ICLR) and Bio-Techne (TECH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Bio-Techne (TECH)
Metric	ICLR	TECH
Total Return (1Y)	30.55%	27.56%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-6.05%	9.11%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.40%	-9.91%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ICLR

TECH

GSPC

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH), 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Bio-Techne (TECH)
Metric	ICLR	TECH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	68.62%	43.08%
Beta (5Y)	1.17	1.26
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-76.87%	-65.87%
Avg. Volume (3M)	943.50K	2.81M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ICLR and TECH 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 Bio-Techne (TECH)
Metric	ICLR	TECH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.38	0.54
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.52	0.82

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Bio-Techne (TECH) at 8.33% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ICON (ICLR) at 4.70% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for TECH.

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%

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.33%

Max: 109.18%
TECH: 8.33%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both ICON (ICLR) at 5.26% and Bio-Techne (TECH) at 14.00% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

14.00%

Max: 18.05%
TECH: 14.00%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both ICON (ICLR) at 10.73% and Bio-Techne (TECH) at 12.21% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

12.21%

Max: 83.12%
Q3: 14.77%
TECH: 12.21%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Bio-Techne (TECH)
Metric	ICLR	TECH
ROE (TTM)	4.70%	8.33%
ROA (TTM)	0.85%	6.38%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.26%	14.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.73%	12.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)	23.44%	66.23%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both ICON (ICLR) at 0.76% and Bio-Techne (TECH) at -0.38% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Bio-Techne (TECH) at 152.17% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while ICON (ICLR) at -71.56% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Bio-Techne (TECH)
Metric	ICLR	TECH
Revenue Growth (YoY)	0.76%	-0.38%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.15%	2.25%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-71.56%	152.17%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-23.82%	-12.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both ICON (ICLR) at 1.32 and Bio-Techne (TECH) at 2.28 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.28

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
TECH: 2.28
Min: 0.10

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): 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 Bio-Techne (TECH) at 0.13 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

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.13

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
TECH: 0.13
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): 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 Bio-Techne (TECH)
Metric	ICLR	TECH
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.32	2.28
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.38	0.13
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.55	-0.20

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 Bio-Techne (TECH) reports a yield of 0.44%, 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%

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.44%

TECH: 0.44%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): 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 Bio-Techne (TECH) reports a payout of 27.59%, 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%

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

27.59%

TECH: 27.59%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Bio-Techne (TECH)
Metric	ICLR	TECH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.44%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	27.59%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both ICON (ICLR) at 81.90 and Bio-Techne (TECH) at 62.74 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

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

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

62.74

Max: 85.34
TECH: 62.74
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): 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 Bio-Techne (TECH) at 9.31 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

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

9.31

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
TECH: 9.31
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): 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 Bio-Techne (TECH) at 5.28 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

TECH

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.28

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
TECH: 5.28
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

ICON (ICLR) vs. Bio-Techne (TECH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for ICON (ICLR) and Bio-Techne (TECH)
Metric	ICLR	TECH
P/E Ratio (TTM)	81.90	62.74
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.86	9.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.68	5.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.51%	2.39%