IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a bullish outlook: Sixteen brokerages assign IQVIA a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with 13 buys and three holds. The average 12-month price target is approximately $241.88, while several firms recently raised targets as high as $287.
• Second-quarter performance exceeded expectations: Adjusted earnings were $3.15 per share versus the $3.03 consensus, while revenue increased 8.7% year over year to $4.37 billion. IQVIA also raised its fiscal 2026 earnings guidance to $12.80–$13.00 per share and cited record R&D bookings and a growing backlog.
• Shares are near their 52-week high: IQVIA opened at $247.84, compared with a 52-week high of $251.36, and institutional investors own 89.62% of the stock. The company also has authorization for a $2 billion share repurchase program, covering up to 6.8% of outstanding shares.

IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $241.8824.

Several analysts have commented on IQV shares. Mizuho increased their target price on IQVIA from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of IQVIA in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on IQVIA from $252.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. HSBC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of IQVIA in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of IQVIA from $220.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday.

Key Stories Impacting IQVIA

Here are the key news stories impacting IQVIA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter results exceeded expectations: IQVIA reported adjusted earnings of $3.15 per share versus the $3.03 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $4.37 billion, above expectations of $4.30 billion. IQVIA Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year guidance was raised: IQVIA now expects fiscal 2026 earnings of $12.80 to $13.00 per share, above the prior consensus estimate of $12.57. Revenue guidance of $17.3 billion to $17.5 billion also reflects continued expansion in the business. IQV Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on R&D Bookings, Guidance Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators improved: Record R&D bookings, broad-based growth and a ballooning backlog suggest strong future revenue visibility and sustained demand for IQVIA’s clinical-research and healthcare-intelligence services. IQVIA Stocks Rises on 2Q Gains, Ballooning Backlog
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts became more bullish: JPMorgan raised its price target from $225 to $285 and assigned an “overweight” rating. Stifel lifted its target from $220 to $276 with a “buy” rating, while Robert W. Baird increased its target from $252 to $287 and maintained an “outperform” rating. These revisions indicate that analysts view the earnings beat and stronger outlook as durable catalysts.
• Neutral Sentiment: IQVIA’s new simplified organizational model is intended to improve collaboration and efficiency, but the financial benefits will depend on execution over time. The stock is also trading near its 52-week high, leaving less room for disappointment if growth or guidance momentum slows.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IQVIA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IQV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in IQVIA by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,650,532 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,429,426,000 after acquiring an additional 159,899 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of IQVIA by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,374,971 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $982,272,000 after purchasing an additional 24,453 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of IQVIA by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,087,380 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $923,276,000 after purchasing an additional 530,672 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of IQVIA by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,799,600 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $856,468,000 after purchasing an additional 528,753 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of IQVIA by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,773,984 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $526,891,000 after purchasing an additional 367,204 shares during the period. 89.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

IQVIA Stock Up 2.0%

NYSE:IQV opened at $247.84 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $41.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.71. IQVIA has a fifty-two week low of $154.50 and a fifty-two week high of $251.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.89.

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The medical research company reported $3.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.03 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $4.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.30 billion. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.81 earnings per share. IQVIA has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.800-13.000 EPS. Analysts predict that IQVIA will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

IQVIA announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical research company to buy up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

About IQVIA

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.

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