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Here's Why Gartner (IT) Deserves a Spot in Your Portfolio

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Gartner (IT - Free Report) has had an impressive run over the past year-to-date period, gaining 35.2% compared with its industry’s 27.1% growth.

Reasons Why IT is an Attractive Pick Now

Solid Rank: IT currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Our research shows that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 (Buy) offer attractive investment opportunities. Thus, the company appears to be a compelling investment proposition at the moment.

Positive Earning Trend Revision: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Gartner’s fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at $2.77 per share. The estimate for the full year 2023 is pegged at earnings of $11.06 per share. This has been revised upward 1.1% and 0.3%, respectively, in the past 60 days. The favorable estimate revision reflects the confidence of brokers in the stock.

Positive Earnings Surprise History:  IT has an impressive earnings surprise history. The company outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an earnings surprise of 34.4%, on average.

Gartner, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Gartner, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Gartner, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Gartner, Inc. Quote

Bullish Industry Rank: The industry, to which Gartner belongs, currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 89 (of 247 groups). Such a solid rank places the industry in the top 36% of the Zacks industries. Studies show that 50% of a stock price movement is directly tied to the performance of the industry group that it hails from.

A mediocre stock in a healthy group is likely to outperform a robust stock in a poor industry. Therefore, taking the industry’s performance into account becomes necessary.

Growth Factors: Gartner's research reports have become essential tools for a wide range of companies in various sectors, thus solidifying its prominent position in the market. Utilizing advanced technologies for data collection and analysis, Gartner leverages unique data assets and extensive domain expertise to offer crucial insights and decision-support solutions, facilitating an informed decision-making process. These insights are derived from a robust fact base, compiled through interactions with clients in more than 14,000 distinct organizations worldwide.

The acquisition of CEB further strengthens Gartner's market standing. By combining Gartner's analyst-driven, syndicated research and advisory services with CEB's expertise in best practices and talent management across various business functions, the company is poised to deliver a comprehensive and distinct suite of services globally.

Gartner provides high-quality, unbiased and actionable insights that help organizations save significantly. In a tech-driven era, its analysis aids firms in navigating complexities, enhancing productivity and safeguarding against cyber threats. Enterprises seek Gartner's expertise for informed decisions and maximizing returns on IT investments.

The company's commitment to shareholder value is evident in its substantial share repurchases, with 3.8 million, 7.3 million and 1.2 million shares bought back in 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, totaling $1 billion, $1.7 billion and $176.3 million. These actions reflect confidence in the business and contribute to investor trust and enhanced earnings per share.

Other Stocks to Consider

The following other top-ranked stocks from the broader Business Services sector are also worth consideration:

Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR - Free Report) : The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Broadridge’s 2023 revenues indicates 7.7% growth from the year-ago figure, while earnings are expected to grow 10.1%. The company beat the consensus estimate in three of the past four quarters and matched on one instance, the average surprise being 5.4%.

BR currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Booz Allen (BAH - Free Report) : The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BAH’s 2023 revenues indicates 13% growth from the year-ago figure, while earnings are expected to grow 10.3%. The company beat the consensus estimate in three of the four quarters and missed on one instance, the average surprise being 7.7%.

BAH carries a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.


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