IQVIA falls on weak annual forecast, AI concerns

IQVIA Holdings

05/02/2026 18:56

Updates

** Shares of contract research firm IQVIA Holdings IQV.N fall 8% to $186.56 after forecasting annual profit below Wall Street estimates, and its CEO defended the co's AI strategy

 ** CEO Ari Bousbib
pushed back on analyst concerns
 that new AI tools could displace IQVIA's services, stating the co's vast proprietary healthcare data assets cannot be replicated by general-purpose AI

 ** IQV expects 2026 adjusted earnings of $12.55 to $12.85 per share, below analysts' avg estimate of $12.95 apiece, citing nearly $80 mln in higher interest expenses

** Stock recently traded at 15.5 times expected earnings, vs an avg forward PE of 19.8 over the past five years, suggesting shares may be undervalued, per LSEG data

 ** "We still think IQV generates too much profit/cash flow, as a clear market leader in an improving market, to not have a positive risk/reward skew," said Leerink Partners analyst Michael Cherny

** Shares up ~15% in 2025

(Reporting by Sahil Pandey and Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru)

((Sahil.Pandey@thomsonreuters.com))