LVM Capital Management Dumps 16,000 ICON Public Shares Worth $2.6 million

Key Points

• LVM Capital Management shed 16,096 shares valued at $2.58 million.

• LVM now holds 40,603 ICON shares valued at $5.91 million.

• ICON is a mid-sized position for LVM, now representing 0.61% of the fund.

• These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires ›

What happened

According to an SEC filing dated July 2, 2025, LVM Capital Management reduced its position in ICON Public Limited (NASDAQ:ICLR) by selling 16,096 shares. The transaction was valued at $2.58 million. After the trade, the fund holds 40,603 shares, with a reported market value of $5.91 million as of the June 2025 filing period.

What else do you need to know?

This sell action lowers ICON Public Limited to 0.61% of LVM’s AUM, according to the 13F filing.

Top five ICON Public holdings after the filing:

1. Microsoft (MSFT): $87 million (9% of AUM)
2. Apple (AAPL): $79.44 million (8.2% of AUM)
3. Broadcom (AVGO): $73.91 million (7.7% of AUM)
4. Eli Lilly (LLY): $39.57 million (4.1% of AUM)
5. AbbVie (ABBV): $31.06 million (3.2% of AUM)

Other need-to-know info about ICON Public:

• Stock price: $147.59 as of July 8, 2025; one-year change: (54%); underperformed S&P 500 by 65.9 percentage points over the past year.
• No dividend; forward P/E ratio is 11.1; EV/EBITDA (LTM) is 10.1.
• Shares trade 57.4% below the 52-week high as of July 7, 2025.

Company overview

Note: TTM figures are as of March 31, 2025.

Company snapshot

• Provides clinical development services, including early and late-phase trials, patient recruitment, medical imaging, laboratory services, and regulatory consulting, primarily for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries.
• Operates as an outsourced clinical research organization, generating revenue by managing and analyzing clinical programs from compound selection through Phase I-IV studies for global clients.
• Serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies, as well as government and public health organizations seeking comprehensive clinical development solutions.

ICON Public Limited is a leading global clinical research organization headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with over 41,000 employees. The company leverages its scale and expertise to deliver end-to-end clinical development and commercialization services, supporting clients across all phases of drug and medical device development. Its integrated approach and broad service offering position ICON as a strategic partner to major healthcare innovators worldwide.

Foolish take

It's an interesting time for ICON Public, the company's stock has declined more than 54% in the last year as its top-line sales stagnate in the face of a shifting political landscape. The company, along with much of the industry, is facing headwinds from cuts to healthcare spending from the U.S. government, which represents a significant share of ICON’s revenue.

While these issues are real, I think the fear is overblown and the stock is oversold. ICON has proved itself to be deft at cutting costs to offset the struggling revenue generation; even as sales stagnated, the company grew its net earnings by 20% each quarter for the past year, save for the most recent quarter. Furthermore, there is a good chance that cutbacks in healthcare spending are temporary.

Finally, ICON has heavily invested in aiding its research with artificial intelligence (AI). I believe that it is exactly the kind of business that stands to gain significantly from its implementation. There may be more downside in the short term, but for investors with a long-term outlook, I think ICON remains a solid choice.

Glossary

• 13F AUM: The total market value of securities reported by an institutional investment manager in SEC Form 13F filings. AUM is assets under management.
• SEC filing: Official documents submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosing financial or ownership information.
• Post-trade holding: The number of shares or assets a fund owns after completing a buy or sell transaction.
• Forward P/E ratio: A valuation metric comparing a company’s current share price to its projected future earnings per share.
• EV/EBITDA (LTM): Enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization over the last 12 months.
• Clinical research organization (CRO): A company that provides outsourced research services for clinical trials and drug development.
• Phase I-IV studies: Stages of clinical trials testing safety, efficacy, and side effects of new drugs or treatments.
• Outsourced clinical development: Contracting external firms to manage and conduct clinical trials or drug development activities.
• Transaction value: The total dollar amount involved in a specific buy or sell of securities.
• Mid-sized position: An investment holding that represents a moderate percentage of a fund’s total assets.
• TTM (Trailing 12 Months): Financial data measured over the most recent 12-month period.
• Market value: The current total worth of a security or portfolio based on prevailing market prices.
  

Where to invest $1,000 right now

When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,053%* — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 179% for the S&P 500.

They just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of July 7, 2025

Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AbbVie, Apple, Icon Public, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.