IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV)
IQVIA is a global giant that helps pharmaceutical companies run clinical trials and use data to bring new medicines to market faster.
Is IQVIA Holdings Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Essential partner for the world's largest drug companies. Worth weighing: Does not pay a dividend to shareholders.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does IQVIA Holdings Inc. do?
Think of IQVIA as the engine room behind the scenes of the healthcare industry. They provide the data, technology, and expert staff that drug companies need to test new treatments and prove they work. Because their money comes from long-term contracts with pharmaceutical firms, what really counts is how much those companies choose to spend on research and development.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and value, and weakest on income.
- !Pays no dividend - the whole return rides on the share price
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 9% over the year
- !High P/E of 30 - big growth is already priced in
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 2.6x its equity
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 23%)
- Momentum screens high
- Income screens low
Does IQVIA Holdings Inc. pay a dividend?
No - IQVIA Holdings Inc. doesn't currently pay a dividend, so the whole return would rest on the share price. Plenty of growing companies reinvest their profits instead of paying them out - neither approach is better or worse, they're just different.
Does IQVIA Holdings Inc. have more cash or more debt?
It holds about $2.08B in cash against about $16.25B of debt - so it has net debt of about $14.17B. Debt is not automatically a problem - it funds growth - but it has to be serviced and repaid, which matters more when profits wobble.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do IQVIA Holdings Inc.'s numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has IQVIA Holdings Inc. actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, IQVIA Holdings Inc. fell as much as −46% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does IQVIA Holdings Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Where does each £100 of IQVIA Holdings Inc.'s sales go?
A rough split of the latest full-year figures: of every £100 of sales, about £67 covers making the product or service, £25 goes on running costs, tax and interest, and about £8 is left as profit. Margins vary a lot by industry, and one-off items can distort a single year.
When does IQVIA Holdings Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
IQVIA Holdings Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-11-03 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-28 | $3.03 | $3.15 | Beat +4% |
| 2026-05-05 | $2.82 | $2.90 | Beat +3% |
| 2026-02-05 | $3.40 | $3.42 | In line |
| 2025-10-28 | $2.98 | $3.00 | In line |
| 2025-07-22 | $2.77 | $2.81 | Beat +1% |
| 2025-05-06 | $2.63 | $2.70 | Beat +3% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, IQVIA Holdings Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 4 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for IQVIA Holdings Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Dominance in AI-driven drug discovery
Major regulatory changes affecting drug trials
What are the pros and cons of IQVIA Holdings Inc.?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Essential partner for the world's largest drug companies
- Strong track record of turning shareholder money into profit
- Deep expertise in complex healthcare data
- Does not pay a dividend to shareholders
- High reliance on the spending budgets of pharmaceutical clients
- Share price can be more volatile than the average company
- Changes in government healthcare policy or drug pricing
- Economic downturns causing clients to cut research budgets
- Data privacy regulations impacting their core business model
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A significant, sustained drop in global pharmaceutical research spending
- A major data security breach that damages their reputation
Common questions about IQVIA Holdings Inc.
Does IQVIA Holdings Inc. pay a dividend?
No - IQVIA Holdings Inc. does not currently pay a dividend, so the return would rest on the share price. Many growing companies reinvest profits instead of paying them out.
When does IQVIA Holdings Inc. report earnings next?
IQVIA Holdings Inc. is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-11-03. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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Haleon plcBuilt from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.