Gartner, Inc. $IT Shares Sold by Empowered Funds LLC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC cut its Gartner stake by 68.9% in the first quarter, selling 32,921 shares and retaining 14,837 shares valued at $2.35 million. Institutional investors collectively own 91.51% of Gartner.
• Gartner exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $4.37 and revenue of $1.68 billion, while raising 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to at least $14. The company also repurchased 3.6 million shares and expanded its buyback authorization by $500 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Gartner has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $185.50, despite several firms raising targets. Revenue declined 0.6% year over year, and a shareholder investigation adds additional headline risk.

Empowered Funds LLC lessened its stake in Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT - Free Report) by 68.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,837 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 32,921 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Gartner were worth $2,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Gartner by 143.9% during the 4th quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 100 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Gartner during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Gartner by 1,980.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 104 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Gartner during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its position in Gartner by 75.5% during the first quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.51% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Gartner

Here are the key news stories impacting Gartner this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and guidance beat expectations: Gartner reported adjusted EPS of $4.37, above the roughly $3.76 consensus, on revenue of approximately $1.68 billion versus expectations of $1.65 billion. Management raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to at least $14, above consensus estimates near $13.69. Reuters earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Margins, cash flow and buybacks support the stock: Net income, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow improved despite lower reported revenue. Gartner repurchased 3.6 million shares for $547 million and added $500 million to its buyback authorization, providing additional per-share support. Zacks earnings and guidance report
• Positive Sentiment: Improving demand trends: Contract value increased 1.7% year over year, with management indicating that growth is reaccelerating. Strong conference demand was also cited as a key driver of the quarterly outperformance. Quiver Quantitative Gartner analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: AI remains a strategic opportunity: Gartner’s latest research highlights enterprises moving from AI experimentation toward AI engineering and places AI agents at the center of cloud-native platform discussions. This reinforces Gartner’s relevance in technology research, but the reports do not represent a new financial forecast. Gartner AI engineering article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst targets increased but ratings remain cautious: UBS raised its target to $196 while maintaining Neutral; Goldman Sachs lifted its target to $181, and Wells Fargo raised its target to $150 while retaining Underweight. The mixed recommendations could limit further upside. Benzinga analyst updates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue softness and legal overhang: Quarterly revenue declined 0.6% year over year, and an investor-rights law firm announced an investigation into potential fiduciary-duty breaches by company directors and officers. The investigation is only an allegation at this stage, but it adds headline risk. Shareholder investigation announcement

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on IT. Morgan Stanley set a $177.00 price objective on shares of Gartner in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial set a $205.00 target price on shares of Gartner in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings cut Gartner from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their price target on Gartner from $164.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Gartner from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $185.50.

Gartner Stock Performance

IT opened at $186.45 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $145.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.09. Gartner, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.25 and a 52-week high of $265.85. The company has a market cap of $12.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.72, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.98.

Gartner (NYSE:IT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The information technology services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.76 by $0.61. Gartner had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 323.93%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.53 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Gartner has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.000- EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Gartner, Inc. will post 14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gartner Profile

Gartner, Inc is a global research and advisory firm that provides insights, advice and tools for leaders in IT, finance, HR, customer service and other business functions. Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, Gartner specializes in helping organizations make informed decisions about technology, operations and strategy through a combination of published research, advisory services, consulting, executive programs and events.

The company's offerings include proprietary research reports, market forecasts, and analytical frameworks that are widely used by technology buyers and vendors.

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