ICON's (ICLR) direct fee book-to-bill ratio of 1.2x supports a credible path to mid-single-digit organic growth in 2027, RBC Capital Markets said in a note Thursday.

The investment firm said that pass-through elevation is being driven by therapeutic mix, along with US centric trials where healthcare cost inflation is high and the structural reality that FSO awards carry higher pass-through content.

The market's hyper-focus on pass-through margins is "myopic," RBC said, as it noted that EBITDA increased to $327.2 million in Q2 from $317.7 million in Q1, with further sequential improvement guided in H2.

The company's Anthropic collaboration will power domain specific agents within clinical trial workflows, which the firm said is more likely to create sustainable advantage than generic token-burning experimentation.

RBC Capital Markets maintained its outperform rating on the stock, with a $185 price target.

Shares of ICON were 0.6% lower in Friday trading.

Price: 164.49, Change: -1.04, Percent Change: -0.63