IQVIA Holdings Inc. research snapshot
IQV AI stock analysis currently reads IQVIA Holdings as a scaled life sciences data, analytics, commercial services, and clinical research platform with accelerating 2026 momentum, record bookings, and raised full-year guidance. At the August 2, 2026 data cutoff, IQV traded at $235.02 with a verified market capitalization of about $38.68 billion. On July 28, 2026 the company beat expectations for the second quarter and raised 2026 revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EPS guidance. The main offset is leverage: IQVIA carried about $15.999 billion of debt and $14.090 billion of net debt at June 30, 2026, with a net leverage ratio of 3.59x. This page uses scenarios, technical levels, and source-backed facts. It is informational research, not investment advice.
Current price
$235.02
Market cap
$38.68 billion
AI score
75 / 100
Rating
Scaled healthcare intelligence and clinical research platform with strong bookings and improving momentum, offset by leverage
Trend status
Bullish short-term momentum, above both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages after a Q2 beat
Data cutoff (updated monthly)
August 4, 2026
Informational use only. This page is not investment advice.
| Dimension | Conclusion | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Business quality | IQVIA sells clinical research services, healthcare data, analytics, technology, and commercial services to life sciences and healthcare clients. Since January 1, 2026 it reports two segments, Commercial Solutions and Research & Development Solutions, and the model benefits from scale, contracts, data depth, and recurring client relationships. | High |
| Moat | The moat comes from proprietary healthcare data, global trial execution capacity, regulatory know-how, client switching costs, analytics workflow integration, and a contracted R&DS backlog of $34.2 billion at June 30, 2026. | High |
| Management | Ari Bousbib remains chairman and CEO, bringing continuity since the 2016 Quintiles and IMS Health merger. Q2 execution was strong, guidance was raised, and capital allocation favors buybacks and acquisitions, but leverage discipline is central. | Medium-high |
| Financial trend | Q2 2026 revenue rose 8.7% to $4.368 billion, GAAP diluted EPS was $1.53, and adjusted diluted EPS rose 12.1% to $3.15. Full-year 2026 guidance was raised across revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EPS. | High |
| Valuation | At $235.02, IQV traded near 29.1x TTM earnings, 17.2x forward earnings, 2.3x sales, 6.3x book value, 17.7x free cash flow, and 15.6x EV/EBITDA. The stock is not cheap on trailing metrics, though forward multiples look more reasonable for the growth rate. | High |
| Technical trend | The stock was above its 50-day moving average near $193.95 and 200-day moving average near $197.46, with RSI near 68.00 showing strong but not yet overbought momentum. | Medium |
| Risk level | Key risks are net debt of $14.090 billion, a 3.59x net leverage ratio, interest expense, trial cancellation cycles, biotech funding pressure, data privacy regulation, acquisition integration, and multiple compression. | Medium-high |
| AI confidence | High for descriptive research and audited calculations. Lower for exact return outcomes because small changes in bookings, interest expense, or PE multiple can move the equity materially. | High data confidence |
| Investment certainty | Medium certainty. The business has scale, record bookings, and cash flow, but the balance sheet and cyclicality of life sciences spending still reduce the margin of safety. | Medium |
IQV AI stock forecast
The IQV AI stock forecast uses scenario math around the $235.02 quote and the midpoint of raised 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance near $12.90. The audited three-year framework produced a bearish area near $183, a base area near $293, and a bullish area near $399 before any future buyback effect. The range is wide because IQVIA combines a sticky client platform with meaningful financial leverage.
$380 to $420
More likely if adjusted EPS compounds near 11% to 12% annually, record bookings convert on schedule, Commercial Solutions sustains high-single-digit growth, AI solution adoption accelerates, free cash flow funds debt reduction and buybacks, and the market values IQV near 22x earnings.
$275 to $310
More likely if adjusted EPS compounds near 8% annually, raised 2026 guidance is met, R&DS bookings stay above 1.0x book-to-bill, Commercial Solutions remains steady, interest expense is manageable, and IQV trades around 18x earnings.
$170 to $195
More likely if trial cancellations rise, biotech funding weakens, backlog conversion slows, debt refinancing costs stay high, data access or privacy rules tighten, and the market compresses IQV toward 13x earnings.
IQV AI technical analysis
IQV AI technical analysis is constructive as of the August 2, 2026 cutoff. Price was above both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while RSI near 68.00 showed strong momentum that is approaching but has not yet broken the 70 overbought line. Technical levels should be refreshed with live chart data before trading.
| Level | Value | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Current price | $235.02 | July 31, 2026 close used for market cap and valuation math at the August 2 data cutoff. |
| Near support | $228 to $232 | The recent day range low near $230.93 and the $230 round-number area form the first support band if momentum cools. |
| Deeper support | $197 to $200 | The 200-day moving average near $197.46 and the $200 round-number area form the deeper trend reference. |
| 50-day moving average | About $193.95 | Price was well above this intermediate trend gauge, supporting a positive short-term trend. |
| 200-day moving average | About $197.46 | Price was above this long-term gauge, which supports a repaired broader trend unless it fails on volume. |
| Near resistance | $240 to $245 | This band combines round-number supply with the pre-earnings high area, so it is a practical upside reference rather than a promise. |
| High resistance | About $251.36 | The 52-week high near $251.36 is the next reference point if the stock clears the $240 to $245 band. |
| Momentum | RSI about 68.00 | Momentum was strong but approaching the typical 70 threshold, so new entries need disciplined sizing and invalidation rules. |
| Volume | About 1.43 million average daily shares | Breakouts above resistance should be judged against recent average volume because low-volume moves can fade. |
| Volatility | Beta about 1.20 | IQV tends to move more than the market, especially around earnings, guidance, interest-rate moves, and healthcare spending updates. |
| Invalidation | Close below $197, then $194 | A close below the 200-day moving average would weaken the repaired trend. A break below the 50-day area near $194 would signal a deeper failed setup. |
IQV AI trading strategy
The IQV AI trading strategy is a rules-based research framework for a leveraged healthcare intelligence and clinical research platform. It is not personal advice and should be paired with live quotes, filings, position sizing, and risk controls.
Watch for IQV to hold above the 200-day moving average near $197 and build above $240 with volume confirmation, raised 2026 guidance, and no deterioration in bookings, backlog conversion, or leverage commentary.
A close below about $197 should invalidate the short-term trend setup, especially if it follows weak earnings, lower bookings, or higher interest expense.
If IQV pulls back toward the $197 to $215 support zone without a new demand, debt, or regulatory shock, compare the price with raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance, free cash flow, net leverage, and the three-scenario valuation range.
Do not average down without a defined loss limit because leveraged service companies can derate quickly when growth or interest-cost assumptions worsen.
Track net new bookings, book-to-bill, cancellations, Commercial Solutions growth, R&DS backlog conversion, adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow conversion, net leverage, share repurchases, debt refinancing, data privacy regulation, and large pharma budget signals.
Reduce confidence if EPS growth depends mostly on buybacks or multiple expansion while organic revenue, bookings, and debt reduction weaken.
Investment research summary
IQVIA helps pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and healthcare clients run trials, analyze healthcare data, commercialize therapies, and make evidence-based decisions. Customers pay because outsourcing trials, data infrastructure, analytics, and commercial execution can be faster and more scalable than building every capability internally.
The moat is built from global trial scale, healthcare data breadth, analytics tools, regulatory experience, client relationships, and workflow integration. It weakens if sponsors pull work in-house, lower-cost CROs win share, privacy rules restrict data usage, or AI tools reduce the value of legacy analytics products.
The thesis fails if net new bookings fall below healthy replacement rates, cancellations rise, biotech funding weakens, Commercial Solutions loses pricing power, debt refinancing absorbs free cash flow, or regulators materially restrict data usage.
Ari Bousbib has led IQVIA since the Quintiles and IMS Health merger, giving the company strategic continuity. The key capital allocation question is whether buybacks and acquisitions create value while net leverage remains elevated.
Drug development complexity, real-world evidence, specialty therapies, AI-enabled trial design, and commercial data needs support long-term demand for IQVIA services. The counterweight is that client spending can pause when biotech funding tightens or large pharma reprioritizes pipelines.
IQV is priced as an improving quality compounder after a Q2 beat and raised guidance, not as a distressed leveraged service company. Margin of safety depends on sustained free cash flow, guidance execution, backlog conversion, and gradual net debt reduction.
Source-backed data
Every metric below includes a source and last verification date.
| Metric | Value | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| IQV price | $235.02 close on July 31, 2026 | StockAnalysis market data snapshot | August 2, 2026 |
| Market capitalization | $38.68 billion, verified as $235.02 x 164.60 million shares with 0.01% variance | financial_rigor.py market cap verification | August 2, 2026 |
| Shares outstanding | 164.60 million shares at June 30, 2026, down 4.89% year over year | IQVIA Q2 2026 release and StockAnalysis statistics | August 2, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 revenue and EPS | $4.368 billion revenue (up 8.7%), $256 million GAAP net income attributable to IQVIA, $1.53 GAAP diluted EPS, and $3.15 adjusted diluted EPS (up 12.1%) | IQVIA Q2 2026 release | August 2, 2026 |
| H1 2026 revenue and EPS | $8.519 billion revenue (up 8.6%), $530 million GAAP net income attributable to IQVIA, and $6.04 adjusted diluted EPS (up 9.8%) | IQVIA Q2 2026 release | August 2, 2026 |
| FY2025 financials | $16.310 billion revenue and $1.360 billion net income attributable to IQVIA, cross-validated against the IQVIA release and StockAnalysis with 0.00% variance | IQVIA FY2025 release and StockAnalysis financials | August 2, 2026 |
| Cash, debt, and net debt | $1.909 billion cash, $15.999 billion debt, and $14.090 billion net debt at June 30, 2026, with a 3.59x net leverage ratio | IQVIA Q2 2026 release | August 2, 2026 |
| Bookings and R&DS backlog | Q2 2026 net new bookings of $3.15 billion (up 19%, 1.22x book-to-bill), last-twelve-month bookings of $11.3 billion (up 13%), and a $34.2 billion contracted backlog at June 30, 2026 | IQVIA Q2 2026 release | August 2, 2026 |
| FY2026 guidance (raised) | $17.275 billion to $17.475 billion revenue, $4.000 billion to $4.050 billion adjusted EBITDA, and $12.80 to $13.00 adjusted diluted EPS | IQVIA Q2 2026 release | August 2, 2026 |
| Valuation ratios | 29.1x TTM PE, 17.2x forward PE, 2.3x PS, 6.3x PB, 17.7x P/FCF, and 15.6x EV/EBITDA based on StockAnalysis and financial_rigor.py | StockAnalysis statistics and financial_rigor.py valuation verification | August 2, 2026 |
| Technical snapshot | 50-day moving average $193.95, 200-day moving average $197.46, RSI 68.00, beta 1.20, 52-week range $154.50 to $251.36, and 20-day average volume about 1.43 million shares | StockAnalysis statistics | August 2, 2026 |
| Analyst consensus | Strong Buy from 21 analysts with an average price target of $272.94 and a target range of $240 to $300 | StockAnalysis forecast | August 2, 2026 |
| Share repurchases | $398 million repurchased in Q2 2026 and $950 million in the first half, with $2.819 billion of authorization remaining at June 30, 2026 | IQVIA Q2 2026 release | August 2, 2026 |
| Segment structure | Effective January 1, 2026, IQVIA reports two segments: Commercial Solutions and Research & Development Solutions, with prior period amounts recast to conform | IQVIA Q2 2026 release | August 2, 2026 |
| CEO continuity | Ari Bousbib is chairman and CEO and has held the role since the 2016 Quintiles and IMS Health merger | IQVIA Q2 2026 release and board biography | August 2, 2026 |
| Ownership | StockAnalysis reported insiders owned about 0.98% of IQV shares, while institutions owned about 99.12% | StockAnalysis statistics | August 2, 2026 |
This IQV AI stock analysis page is an informational tool only and is not investment advice, financial advice, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Forecast ranges are scenarios based on available public data as of August 2, 2026 and may be wrong. Always verify live market data, company filings, and your own risk constraints before making investment decisions.
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