IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) issued its earnings results on Tuesday. The medical research company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.08, FiscalAI reports. IQVIA had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The company had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis.

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

• IQVIA exceeded third-quarter guidance, with revenue of $4.43 billion growing 8% reported, adjusted EBITDA up 8.7%, and adjusted EPS up 11.3% year over year. The company raised its full-year 2026 revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EPS outlook.
• R&D Solutions delivered its strongest clinical bookings in four years, with $3.2 billion of net new bookings, a 1.2 book-to-bill ratio, and last-12-month bookings up 14% to $11.7 billion. Management cited broad-based strength, improving win rates, and renewed momentum in full-service outsourcing.
• Demand indicators remain favorable, including an 85% year-to-date increase in emerging biopharma funding, high-single-digit growth in clinical trial starts and RFP flow, and more than 40% growth in new drug launches. Commercial Solutions organic growth doubled from last year’s rate, while pipelines remain at record levels.
• AI adoption is becoming a meaningful competitive differentiator, with 415 agents deployed and customers using AI for trial design, site selection, market access, patient services, and commercial insights. Management said AI is supporting new revenue opportunities while also improving internal productivity and margins.
• The company removed approximately $2.1 billion of inactive trials from reported R&D backlog after reviewing studies inactive for roughly 18 months or more, although management said the adjustment does not affect historical results, 2026 guidance, bookings, or next-12-month revenue. IQVIA also ended the quarter with $13.8 billion of net debt and 3.45 times net leverage.

IQVIA Trading Down 0.5%

IQVIA stock traded down $1.42 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $277.62. 379,726 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,688,719. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $265.51 and its 200-day moving average is $210.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.48, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.17. IQVIA has a fifty-two week low of $154.50 and a fifty-two week high of $284.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.71.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on IQV. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of IQVIA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on IQVIA from $220.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of IQVIA from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of IQVIA from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, William Blair raised IQVIA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $287.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider James G. Berkshire sold 2,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.33, for a total value of $697,228.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,845,883.70. This represents a 19.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider W. Richard Staub sold 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.68, for a total transaction of $1,279,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 13,312 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,097,436.16. This trade represents a 29.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,023 shares of company stock worth $2,413,394. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

About IQVIA

IQVIA Holdings Inc is a global provider of technology, analytics and contract research services for the life sciences industry. The company helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device organizations develop, commercialize and improve products by combining healthcare data with advanced analytics, consulting and technology-enabled services.

Its offerings include clinical research and trial management, real-world evidence, healthcare data and analytics, regulatory and safety services, technology platforms, and commercial solutions.