IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.02 EPS

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported $3.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $4.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 30.70%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.12 EPS. IQVIA updated its FY 2026 guidance to 12.550-12.850 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from IQVIA’s conference call:

• Strong quarter and full‑year performance with Q4 revenue up 10.3% (8.1% cc), full‑year revenue growth of 6%, adjusted EPS up 7%, free cash flow of $2.1B (~100% of adjusted net income), and FY‑2026 guidance of $17.15B–$17.35B revenue and $12.55–$12.85 adjusted EPS.
• Demand recovery reflected in bookings and backlog — Q4 net bookings >$2.7B, a net book‑to‑bill of 1.18, and a record backlog of $32.7B (up 5.3% YoY) with $8.3B of next‑12‑month revenue in backlog.
• Strategic AI and cloud momentum — named AWS preferred agentic cloud provider, continued partnership with NVIDIA, Everest Group generative AI recognition, and early client wins for AI‑enabled clinical and commercial solutions suggest accelerating monetization of AI investments.
• Elevated leverage and rising interest cost — gross debt of $15.7B, net leverage of 3.63x, and 2026 net interest expense guidance of ~$760M (≈$80M higher YoY) could constrain financial flexibility and margin expansion.

IQVIA Trading Up 3.3%

NYSE:IQV traded up $5.96 on Friday, hitting $186.92. The stock had a trading volume of 2,250,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,625,943. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $228.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $209.42. IQVIA has a 1-year low of $134.65 and a 1-year high of $247.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market cap of $31.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.66, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.37.

Key Stories Impacting IQVIA

Here are the key news stories impacting IQVIA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — EPS $3.42 vs. ~$3.40 consensus and revenue $4.36B vs. ~$4.24B; revenue grew double digits year‑over‑year, supporting demand recovery from pharma clients. IQVIA Q4 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Company issued FY‑2026 guidance (EPS 12.55–12.85; revenue $17.2B–$17.4B) that is near or modestly above consensus revenue, giving a baseline for 2026 recovery expectations. IQVIA FY2026 Guidance (press materials)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst research/forecast pages provide varying takes on valuation and forward estimates — useful for modeling revisions but not a single consensus driver. IQVIA Stock Forecasts (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and some coverage flagged the FY outlook as disappointing after accounting for higher interest expense — Reuters and others note annual profit forecasts were lowered, which dented sentiment and prompted price weakness in some sessions. IQVIA forecasts weak annual profit on higher interest expenses
• Negative Sentiment: Several outlets reported that the 2026 outlook missed portions of Wall Street expectations for adjusted earnings, triggering intraday selling and negative headlines. IQVIA Stock Drops as 2026 Outlook Misses
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts questioned the near‑term payoff from IQVIA’s AI strategy and at least one firm (BTIG) cut its rating to neutral, adding to downside pressure. IQVIA backs AI strategy as analysts question impact BTIG cuts IQVIA rating to neutral

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IQV has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on IQVIA from $177.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on IQVIA from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on IQVIA from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of IQVIA from $265.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $250.00 price target on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $243.63.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in IQVIA during the third quarter worth $30,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of IQVIA during the 3rd quarter worth $52,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of IQVIA during the 3rd quarter worth about $74,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in IQVIA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $77,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in IQVIA by 17.9% in the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

IQVIA Company Profile

IQVIA (NYSE: IQV) is a global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions and contract research services to the life sciences industry. The company combines clinical research capabilities with large-scale health data and analytics to support drug development, regulatory reporting, commercial strategy and real‑world evidence generation. IQVIA traces its current form to the combination of Quintiles and IMS Health announced in 2016 and subsequently rebranded as IQVIA, bringing together long-established clinical research operations and extensive healthcare information assets.

IQVIA’s principal activities include outsourced clinical development services (acting as a contract research organization for phases I–IV), real‑world evidence and observational research, regulatory and safety services, and a suite of technology platforms that enable data integration, analytics and operational management.