It's been a pretty great week for IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) shareholders, with its shares surging 13% to US$179 in the week since its latest first-quarter results. IQVIA Holdings reported in line with analyst predictions, delivering revenues of US$4.2b and statutory earnings per share of US$1.61, suggesting the business is executing well and in line with its plan. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on IQVIA Holdings after the latest results.

After the latest results, the 20 analysts covering IQVIA Holdings are now predicting revenues of US$17.3b in 2026. If met, this would reflect a reasonable 3.9% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory per share are forecast to be US$8.23, approximately in line with the last 12 months. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$17.2b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$8.08 in 2026. The consensus analysts don't seem to have seen anything in these results that would have changed their view on the business, given there's been no major change to their estimates.

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at US$229. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. There are some variant perceptions on IQVIA Holdings, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$287 and the most bearish at US$195 per share. There are definitely some different views on the stock, but the range of estimates is not wide enough as to imply that the situation is unforecastable, in our view.

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. We can infer from the latest estimates that forecasts expect a continuation of IQVIA Holdings'historical trends, as the 5.2% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2026 is roughly in line with the 4.6% annual growth over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 6.5% per year. So it's pretty clear that IQVIA Holdings is expected to grow slower than similar companies in the same industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with the analysts reconfirming that the business is performing in line with their previous earnings per share estimates. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Although our data does suggest that IQVIA Holdings' revenue is expected to perform worse than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on IQVIA Holdings. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have forecasts for IQVIA Holdings going out to 2028, and you can see them free on our platform here.

You still need to take note of risks, for example - IQVIA Holdings has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.