Should I Buy IQV? IQV 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy IQVIA Holdings Inc (IQV) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Buy

Latest Price

187.490

1 Day change

3.61%

52 Week Range

247.040

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/05

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Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
AI Stock Picker: No signal on given stock today.
SwingMax: No signal on given stock today.
Buy now for a tactical rebound setup: IQV is extremely oversold (RSI_6 ~11.7) into/after an earnings beat, which often supports a snapback move.
Earnings catalyst is supportive (Q4 beat + strong YoY revenue growth), which can help stabilize sentiment even if the broader trend has been weak.
Main pushback: options positioning is notably defensive (put-heavy) and insider/hedge-fund flows are negative, so this is a rebound/trade-style buy rather than a “clean trend” buy.

Technical Analysis

Trend/Momentum: Bearish momentum persists (MACD histogram -4.428, below 0 and negatively expanding) → confirms the prior down-move is still in force.
Oversold condition: RSI_6 at 11.677 is deeply oversold, increasing odds of a short-term mean reversion bounce.
Moving averages: Converging MAs suggests the selloff may be maturing, but not yet a confirmed uptrend.
Key levels:
- Resistance/Pivot: 223.733 (first major area to reclaim), then 241.653
- Support: 205.814 (S1) and 194.743 (S2); price (~202.5–202.7 pre-market) is below S1, closer to S2, which fits an “oversold near support” rebound profile.

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bearish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Put-heavy positioning: OI put/call 1.35 and volume put/call 2.56 skew bearish/hedged.
Activity spike: Today’s options volume 5609 vs 30D average (reported) implies ~735% surge → strong event-driven positioning (earnings).
Volatility: 30D IV ~43.6 with IV percentile ~82.5 → elevated implied volatility (market pricing larger post-earnings moves).
Interpretation: Despite the earnings beat, the options market is leaning defensive (more puts), which can cap upside unless price action confirms a reversal.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Earnings beat: Q4 Non-GAAP EPS $3.42 vs $3.40 est. and revenue $4.36B, +10.1% YoY (positive fundamental surprise).
- Analyst tone improving into 2026: Multiple firms raised price targets recently, reflecting expectations for a healthier operating backdrop and recovery in CRO demand.
- Congress trading: In the last 90 days, 4 purchases / 0 sales (heavy buying bias; reported $1.5M–$5.0M range, median ~$3.3M).

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Flow/sentiment headwind: Hedge funds are selling (selling amount +581.38% QoQ) and insiders are selling (selling amount +1004.81% MoM) → negative near-term signal.
- Technical trend still bearish: MACD is negative and worsening; oversold can persist without immediate reversal.
- Options sentiment cautious: Put volume dominance (put/call volume 2.56) suggests traders are still hedging for downside.
- Pattern-based forward drift (statistical): Similar-pattern model implies small negative bias over the next month (approx. -0.57%).

Financial Performance

Latest provided quarter: 2025/Q3
- Revenue: $4.10B, +5.24% YoY (steady growth)
- Net Income: $331M, +16.14% YoY (profit growth outpacing revenue)
- EPS: $1.93, +24.52% YoY (strong EPS growth)
- Gross Margin: 26.51%, -6.09% YoY (margin compression is the key blemish)
Latest news (Q4 result): Revenue $4.36B, +10.1% YoY, and EPS beat supports the view that growth is re-accelerating into 2026.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: Predominantly price target increases with mostly Buy/Outperform ratings maintained.
- TD Cowen: PT $245 up from $215, Hold (more cautious)
- Mizuho: PT $266 up from $250, Outperform
- Truist: PT $290 up from $265, Buy
- UBS: PT $280 up from $250, Buy
- Stifel: PT $273 up from $254, Buy
- BofA: PT $260 up from $245, Buy
- Barclays: PT $230 up from $200, Equal Weight
- BMO: Initiated Outperform, PT $260
Wall Street pros: Improving demand visibility/book-to-bill commentary, recovery narrative into 2026, scale advantages, and potential margin expansion via efficiencies.
Wall Street cons: Recovery pace uncertainty and at least one notable “Hold/Equal Weight” camp implying upside may be more gradual than the bulls expect.

15 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast IQV stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for IQV is 258.31 USD with a low forecast of 215 USD and a high forecast of 290 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

12 Buy

3 Hold

0 Sell

Strong Buy

Current: 180.960

Low

215

Averages

258.31

High

290

Current: 180.960

Low

215

Averages

258.31

High

290

JPMorgan

Anne Samuel

Overweight

downgrade

$255 -> $225

AI Analysis

2026-02-06

New

Reason

JPMorgan

Anne Samuel

Price Target

$255 -> $225

AI Analysis

2026-02-06

New

downgrade

Overweight

Reason

JPMorgan analyst Anne Samuel lowered the firm's price target on Iqvia to $225 from $255 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm updated the company's model post the Q4 report.

Stifel

Buy

downgrade

$273 -> $220

2026-02-06

New

Reason

Stifel

Price Target

$273 -> $220

2026-02-06

New

downgrade

Buy

Reason

Stifel lowered the firm's price target on Iqvia to $220 from $273 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm, which believes the nearly 11% decline in the stock price was a function of AI concerns and the lower-than-expected 2026 EPS guidance, believes the AI concerns are "misguided," the analyst tells investors.

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IQV Should I Buy

IQV Should I Buy

Should You Buy IQVIA Holdings Inc (IQV) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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