IQVIA Holdings Inc. · IQV · FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026
IQVIA raises 2026 outlook as AI adoption lifts bookings
The quarter supports a constructive operating thesis: resilient demand, stronger bookings, and expanding AI adoption are supporting growth and guidance. The main tests are whether AI-led wins convert into durable revenue and margins, and whether biotech funding and backlog quality remain supportive.
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusMarket reaction
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Transcript intelligence
What changed
Compared with the prior quarter, IQVIA reported another strong period, raised full-year guidance, expanded its AI deployment to 415 agents, and disclosed a $2.1 billion inactive-trial backlog adjustment. Management also highlighted $3.2 billion of R&D net new bookings and continued acquisition activity.
Guidance delta
Management raised full-year 2026 revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and EPS guidance. The analysis does not provide the revised figures.
Key takeaways
- Management said revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and EPS exceeded the high end of guidance in Q3.
- R&D net new bookings reached $3.2 billion, while 12-month net new bookings were $11.7 billion.
- AI-enabled solutions, higher win rates, and drug-launch activity supported growth across clinical and commercial operations.
- Management said the backlog was adjusted by removing $2.1 billion of inactive trials, improving visibility but introducing a comparability consideration.
Management priorities
- Deploy AI agents and expand agentic solutions, including IQVIA Explorer.
- Build early-phase biotech and discovery capabilities through acquisitions and new services.
- Maintain focus on data privacy, regulatory compliance, and traceability for AI deployments.
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Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 28, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stifel | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Mizuho | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Barclays | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Oct 7, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Sep 29, 2026 |
| Truist Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 28, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Sep 17, 2026 |
| TD Cowen | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 29, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 29, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Baird | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI Group | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Apr 8, 2026 |
| UBS | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 6, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 6, 2026 |
| Citigroup | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Feb 6, 2026 |
| HSBC | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Oct 9, 2025 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Dec 13, 2024 |
| Leerink Partners | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Nov 19, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 1, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 1, 2024 |
| BTIG | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 1, 2024 |
| Guggenheim | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Feb 15, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | May 1, 2023 |
| Credit Suisse | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Feb 13, 2023 |
| Cowen & Co. | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Dec 6, 2022 |
| SVB Leerink | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 15, 2022 |
| Piper Sandler | Overweight | Neutral | Upgrade | Apr 29, 2022 |
| Keybanc | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Apr 28, 2022 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 10, 2021 |
| Stephens & Co. | Overweight | Equal Weight | Upgrade | Apr 16, 2021 |
| SunTrust Robinson Humphrey | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 29, 2020 |
| CFRA | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Mar 24, 2020 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 13, 2020 |
| Wolfe Research | Outperform | Peer Perform | Upgrade | Nov 14, 2019 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 25, 2019 |
| Raymond James | Strong Buy | Strong Buy | Maintain | Aug 31, 2018 |
| Bank of America | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jul 25, 2018 |
| Mitsubishi UFJ | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Dec 15, 2017 |
| William Blair | Outperform | Market Perform | Upgrade | Aug 4, 2017 |
| PiperJaffray | Neutral | Overweight | Downgrade | Oct 27, 2016 |
| Pacific Crest | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jul 28, 2016 |
| Avondale Partners | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | May 3, 2016 |
| Wunderlich | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 26, 2014 |
| ISI Group | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Oct 10, 2014 |
| Sterne Agee | Underperform | Underperform | Maintain | Jun 11, 2013 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $271.55. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $303 | $260.71 | +11.6% | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $300 | $260.16 | +10.5% | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $300 | $260.16 | +10.5% | Oct 7, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $345 | $269.19 | +27.0% | Sep 30, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $329 | $270.37 | +21.2% | Sep 28, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $270 | $268.82 | -0.6% | Sep 17, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $247 | $246.03 | -9.0% | Jul 29, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Sean Dodge | $270 | $249.51 | -0.6% | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | Eric Coldwell | $287 | $243.31 | +5.7% | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Ann Hynes | $230 | $207.85 | -15.3% | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $240 | $208 | -11.6% | Jul 9, 2026 |
| HSBC | Sidharth Sahoo | $240 | $206.42 | -11.6% | Jul 6, 2026 |
| Robert W. Baird | Analyst unavailable | $249 | $193.22 | -8.3% | Jul 1, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Kallum Titchmarsh | $200 | $179.17 | -26.3% | Jun 17, 2026 |
| HSBC | Analyst unavailable | $210 | $180.64 | -22.7% | Jun 3, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $225 | $179.31 | -17.1% | May 7, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson | $185 | $172.54 | -31.9% | Apr 8, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $215 | $165.62 | -20.8% | Feb 23, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $245 | $165.64 | -9.8% | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $240 | $178.88 | -11.6% | Feb 11, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $240 | $184.01 | -11.6% | Feb 6, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Analyst unavailable | $250 | $184.75 | -7.9% | Feb 6, 2026 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $220 | $184.67 | -19.0% | Feb 6, 2026 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $210 | $180.96 | -22.7% | Feb 6, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson | $225 | $180.96 | -17.1% | Feb 5, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $266 | $243.19 | -2.0% | Jan 9, 2026 |
| UBS | Dan Leonard | $280 | $242.66 | +3.1% | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Jailendra Singh | $290 | $241.1 | +6.8% | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $230 | $222.26 | -15.3% | Dec 15, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $265 | $228.47 | -2.4% | Dec 1, 2025 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $254 | $219.8 | -6.5% | Oct 29, 2025 |
| UBS | Dan Leonard | $250 | $219.64 | -7.9% | Oct 29, 2025 |
| Robert W. Baird | Eric Coldwell | $258 | $218.13 | -5.0% | Oct 29, 2025 |
| HSBC | Analyst unavailable | $235 | $200.6 | -13.5% | Oct 9, 2025 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $240 | $200.86 | -11.6% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $200 | $203.79 | -26.3% | Oct 2, 2025 |
| Redburn Partners | Jamie Clark | $214 | $181.58 | -21.2% | Sep 3, 2025 |
| Mizuho Securities | Ann Hynes | $225 | $199.17 | -17.1% | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Redburn Partners | Jamie Clark | $188 | $137 | -30.8% | May 23, 2025 |
| Mizuho Securities | Ann Hynes | $190 | $140.43 | -30.0% | May 15, 2025 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $165 | $146.2 | -39.2% | May 7, 2025 |
| HSBC | Sidharth Sahoo | $160 | $150.28 | -41.1% | Apr 25, 2025 |
| Truist Financial | Jaliendra Singh | $265 | $210.19 | -2.4% | Nov 4, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson | $235 | $205.82 | -13.5% | Oct 31, 2024 |
| RBC Capital | Sean Dodge | $270 | $217.54 | -0.6% | Oct 29, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Justin Bowers | $270 | $232.98 | -0.6% | Oct 16, 2024 |
| Redburn Partners | Jamie Clark | $276 | $229.26 | +1.6% | Oct 14, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | Eric Coldwell | $256 | $244.62 | -5.7% | Sep 20, 2024 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Jonathan Block | $175.38 | $236.24 | -35.4% | Aug 5, 2024 |
| Truist Financial | Jailendra Singh | $300 | $240.26 | +10.5% | Jul 23, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson | $270 | $239.5 | -0.6% | Jul 23, 2024 |
| Barclays | Luke Sergott | $275 | $245.23 | +1.3% | Jul 23, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Justin Bowers | $275 | $212.83 | +1.3% | Jun 18, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | Eric Coldwell | $241 | $217.46 | -11.3% | Jun 13, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Matthew Sykes | $270 | $218.9 | -0.6% | Jun 6, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson | $275 | $236.28 | +1.3% | Aug 2, 2022 |
| Piper Sandler | Jeff Garro | $255 | $202.53 | -6.1% | May 12, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $235 | $228.16 | -13.5% | Apr 25, 2022 |
| Evercore ISI | Elizabeth Anderson CFA | $320 | $268.17 | +17.8% | Nov 19, 2021 |
| Bank of America Securities | Derik De Bruin | $320 | $264.45 | +17.8% | Nov 17, 2021 |
| KeyBanc | Donald Hooker | $290 | $264.45 | +6.8% | Nov 17, 2021 |
| Citigroup | Patrick B Donnelly | $320 | $264.45 | +17.8% | Nov 17, 2021 |
| Wells Fargo | Dan Leonard | $300 | $256.89 | +10.5% | Oct 22, 2021 |
| Argus Research | Jasper Hellweg | $290 | $260.5 | +6.8% | Sep 10, 2021 |
| Credit Suisse | Katie Tryhane | $272 | $249.86 | +0.2% | Aug 4, 2021 |
| Guggenheim | Sandy Draper | $267 | $245.37 | -1.7% | Jul 28, 2021 |
| Cowen & Co. | Daniel Brennan | $275 | $232.3 | +1.3% | Apr 23, 2021 |
| Stephens | Scott Schoenhaus | $250 | $215.56 | -7.9% | Apr 16, 2021 |
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Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationIQVIA Holdings Inc. is a premier global provider of sophisticated analytical insights, advanced technology solutions, and comprehensive clinical research services, catering to the life sciences industry across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. The company's operations are structured into three key divisions: Technology & Analytics Solutions, Research & Development Solutions, and Contract Sales & Medical Solutions. The Technology & Analytics Solutions segment provides a suite of cloud-native applications, complete with implementation services, and offers real-world data solutions designed to empower life sciences and healthcare providers in generating and disseminating evidence crucial for informed decision-making and improving patient outcomes. This division also delivers strategic and operational consulting, including advanced analytics support and outsourcing of commercial processes.…
Historical context
All IQV earningsHealthcare peers this season
Latest reports in the same sector| Company | Quarter | EPS surprise | Market move | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC Centene Corp. | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | — | +1.7% | Centene raises 2026 EPS outlook as margins hold up |
| HCA HCA Healthcare, Inc. | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | — | -5.3% | HCA volume growth holds, but payer mix and Medicaid weigh on outlook |
| RGEN Repligen Corporation | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | — | -2.2% | Repligen posts record Q3 revenue and raises 2026 guidance |
| NVS Novartis AG | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | — | +1.2% | Novartis raises profit outlook as priority brands drive Q3 growth |
Latest beats and misses
Who reports nextBeat on EPS
- INIOFY2026 Q3 · October 27, 2026+29.5% EPS+2.1% move
- KOFY2026 Q3 · October 27, 2026+3.3% EPS-1.6% move
- HIG-PGFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026+10.4% EPS— move
- HIGFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026+10.4% EPS-1.8% move
- CLSFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026+12.6% EPS+12.1% move
- CINFFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026+39.5% EPS+2.3% move
Missed on EPS
- HSBCFY2026 Q3 · October 27, 2026-4.5% EPS-5.7% move
- BROFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026-1.8% EPS-5.0% move
- PSA-PLFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026-32.1% EPS— move
- PSA-PNFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026-32.1% EPS— move
- PSA-POFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026-32.1% EPS— move
- PSA-PKFY2026 Q3 · October 26, 2026-32.1% EPS— move
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Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-10-27T16:07:00.758604+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-10-27T01:23:15.065758+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-28T00:20:42.419364+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-28T00:20:42.417605+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-28. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.