IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

07 Feb 2026, 14:28 by Tristan Rich · The Markets Daily

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV – Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. IQVIA had a return on equity of 30.50% and a net margin of 8.34%.The firm had revenue of $4.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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 3.6%

Shares of IQVIA stock opened at $187.50 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $228.03 and a 200 day moving average of $209.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.85, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.37. IQVIA has a fifty-two week low of $134.65 and a fifty-two week high of $247.04.

IQVIA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting IQVIA this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: IQV reported Q4 EPS of $3.42 and revenue of $4.36B, both above estimates and showing double‑digit Y/Y sales growth — a core reason buyers are stepping in. IQVIA Holdings (IQV) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance modestly raised on revenue and EPS ranges (EPS 12.55–12.85; revenue $17.2B–$17.4B) — guidance came in around or slightly above Street revenue/consensus EPS, supporting near‑term sentiment. IQVIA’s (NYSE:IQV) Q4 CY2025 Sales Top Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Jefferies lowered its price target to $255 but kept a “buy” rating — that still implies sizable upside vs. the current price and helps underpin demand from buy‑side holders. Jefferies PT Cut (Benzinga)
Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed its price target to $200 and moved to “neutral” — a calibration of expectations but not a full sell signal. Citigroup PT Change (Benzinga)
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and value‑style writeups (Zacks) highlight IQV as a longer‑term value play based on style scores — useful for longer‑horizon investors rather than short‑term movers. Why IQVIA Is a Top Value Stock (Zacks)
Negative Sentiment: IQV warned that higher interest expenses will weigh on annual profit, and Reuters notes the company forecast annual profit below Street expectations — this is increasing focus on leverage and interest‑rate sensitivity. IQV Forecasts Weak Annual Profit (Reuters)
Negative Sentiment: Market headlines flagged that shares fell after management’s outlook for adjusted earnings missed some expectations — that knee‑jerk reaction pressured the stock before buyers re‑entered. Shares Down After Outlook Misses (MarketWatch)
Negative Sentiment: BTIG cut its rating to neutral citing sector headwinds — another signal that some sell‑side shops are taking a more cautious near‑term stance. BTIG Cuts Rating to Neutral (MSN)

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in IQVIA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,475,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of IQVIA by 17.9% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 27,336 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,192,000 after acquiring an additional 4,153 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of IQVIA by 38.3% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,671 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $887,000 after acquiring an additional 1,293 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in IQVIA in the third quarter valued at $15,189,000. Finally, Morningstar Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in IQVIA during the 3rd quarter worth $4,327,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on IQV. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of IQVIA in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of IQVIA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of IQVIA in a report on Thursday. Mizuho set a $266.00 target price on IQVIA in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of IQVIA in a report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.75.

Get Our Latest Analysis on IQVIA

IQVIA Company Profile

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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.