IQVIA (IQV) Stock Trades Down, Here Is Why

What Happened?

Shares of clinical research company IQVIA (NYSE: IQV) fell 8.5% in the morning session after the company issued a weak full-year 2026 profit forecast that fell below Wall Street expectations. 

The company projected adjusted earnings for 2026 to be in the range of $12.55 to $12.85 per share, short of analysts' average estimate of $12.95. This disappointing outlook overshadowed a strong fourth-quarter performance, in which the company surpassed estimates with revenue of $4.36 billion and an adjusted profit of $3.42 per share. Investors, however, focused on the weaker future guidance rather than the solid quarterly results, sending the stock lower.

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What Is The Market Telling Us

IQVIA’s shares are somewhat volatile and have had 10 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 7 months ago when the stock gained 15.9% on the news that the company reported second-quarter financial results that beat Wall Street expectations and raised its full-year profit guidance. 

The company announced second-quarter revenue of $4.02 billion, which surpassed analyst estimates of $3.96 billion. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS), a key measure of profitability, came in at $2.81, which was also ahead of the consensus forecast of $2.77. The strong performance was driven by solid growth across its business segments, with the Technology & Analytics Solutions division seeing an 8.9% revenue increase. Looking ahead, IQVIA updated its full-year 2025 guidance. It slightly raised its forecast for adjusted EPS to a range of $11.75 to $12.05. The company also reaffirmed its full-year revenue projection, expecting between $16.1 billion and $16.3 billion. The positive results and optimistic outlook appeared to boost investor confidence, signaling robust demand for its clinical research and data analytics services.

IQVIA is down 17% since the beginning of the year, and at $187.09 per share, it is trading 23.4% below its 52-week high of $244.29 from January 2026. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of IQVIA’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,005.

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