Gartner (NYSE:IT) Stock Jumps 5.1% Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Gartner shares rose 5.1% after Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $177 to $182, though it maintained an “equal weight” rating.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Gartner has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target of $189, below the stock’s recent trading level; Zacks also downgraded the shares to “Hold.”
• Gartner beat quarterly expectations with $4.37 in EPS versus $3.76 forecast and $1.68 billion in revenue, but revenue declined 0.6% year over year and insiders have sold shares in recent months.

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT - Get Free Report) traded up 5.1% on Thursday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $177.00 to $182.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Gartner traded as high as $194.48 and last traded at $195.2670. 287,496 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 1,478,270 shares. The stock had previously closed at $185.77.

Several other research firms have also commented on IT. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Gartner from $162.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Gartner from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Gartner from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Gartner from $214.00 to $206.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Gartner from $196.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $189.00.

Insider Activity at Gartner

In other Gartner news, EVP Yvonne Genovese sold 1,205 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.06, for a total value of $229,022.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,208 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,179,892.48. The trade was a 16.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Anne Fuchs sold 860 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.30, for a total transaction of $158,498.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,097 shares in the company, valued at $1,492,277.10. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,043 shares of company stock valued at $1,172,858. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Gartner

Here are the key news stories impacting Gartner this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Gartner from $177 to $182 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating. Because the revised target remains below the stock’s recent trading level, the action represents modestly improved valuation support but still implies limited near-term upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several companies highlighted Gartner research in announcements, including Hexaware’s positioning as a Visionary in the 2026 Magic Quadrant for Custom Software Development Services, ORTEC’s inclusion as a Representative Vendor for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling, Transcend’s recognition as a Leader for Privacy UX, and WEVO’s inclusion among “Coolest Vendors” for AI user experience. These announcements reinforce Gartner’s industry influence but do not directly change Gartner’s revenue or earnings outlook. Hexaware Gartner recognition
• Neutral Sentiment: Cerillion was named in Gartner’s 2026 Magic Quadrant for AI-enabled communications service provider solutions. The recognition underscores demand for Gartner’s research and advisory products, but it is primarily promotional for Cerillion rather than a new catalyst for Gartner. Cerillion Gartner recognition
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Gartner from “strong buy” to “hold,” adding to the cautious analyst tone. The downgrade may limit investor enthusiasm, although the firm’s latest quarterly earnings beat and full-year guidance remain supportive. Gartner downgraded to hold by Zacks

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in Gartner during the 2nd quarter valued at $985,243,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Gartner during the second quarter valued at $676,246,000. Independent Franchise Partners LLP raised its holdings in shares of Gartner by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 3,308,566 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $834,685,000 after acquiring an additional 112,439 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its holdings in shares of Gartner by 8,182.0% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 1,536,890 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $387,727,000 after acquiring an additional 1,518,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in Gartner by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,181,830 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $298,152,000 after acquiring an additional 122,894 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.51% of the company's stock.

Gartner Trading Up 5.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.98. The stock's 50 day moving average is $184.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.43. The company has a market capitalization of $12.33 billion, a PE ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.98.

Gartner (NYSE:IT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The information technology services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.76 by $0.61. Gartner had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 525.46%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.53 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Gartner has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.000- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Gartner, Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gartner Company Profile

Gartner, Inc is a global research and advisory firm that provides business leaders with insights, analysis and guidance on technology, digital transformation and related business strategies. The company serves organizations across industries, including corporations, government agencies and technology providers.

Gartner's offerings include subscription-based research, consulting services, benchmarking and measurement tools, executive programs, and conferences and other events. Its research covers areas such as information technology, cybersecurity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data and analytics, human resources, finance, supply chains and customer experience.

Founded in 1979 by Gideon Gartner, the company has expanded its operations internationally and serves clients across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

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