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what it is
Gartner sells research, advice, and conferences to big organizations that need help making tech decisions.
how it gets paid
Last year Gartner made $6.5B in revenue. Research was the main engine at $4.94B, or 76% of sales.
why it's growing
Revenue grew 3.7% last year. 69.1% gross margin matters most because gross margin → money left after delivering the product → so what.
what just happened
Revenue hit $4.7B and EPS reached $6.35, both far above the year-ago period.
At a glance
B++ balance sheet — above average — nothing keeping you up at night
80/100 earnings predictability — you can trust these numbers
12.2x trailing p/e — the market's not buying it — or you found a deal
18.5% return on capital — nothing to write home about
xvary composite: 69/100 — average
What they do
Gartner sells research, advice, and conferences to big organizations that need help making tech decisions.
Gartner wins because your CIO does not want to make a multimillion-dollar tech mistake without a stack of outside research behind it. Research is 76% of sales, which means the subscription-like advice business pays most of the bills. Return on capital is 18.5% — capital efficiency → it earns a lot on the money it uses → so what, this is not a bloated consulting shop.
How they make money
$6.5B
annual revenue · their business grew +3.7% last year
Research
$4.94B
Conferences
$0.98B
Consulting
$0.59B
The products that matter
enterprise research, consulting, and events
Research, Advisory and Events
$6.5B revenue
the segment breakout is thin in this snapshot, so the key fact is simpler: these services together produced $6.5B last year, and the company still ran at a 22.3% operating margin.
entire business
Key numbers
12.2x
trailing p/e
P/E → price-to-earnings ratio → how much you pay for each dollar of profit. So what, Gartner is priced more like a slow operator than a 22.5% margin business.
22.5%
operating margin
Operating margin → profit after running the business → so what, Gartner keeps about $0.23 from each $1 of sales before interest and taxes.
18.5%
return on capital
Return on capital → profit earned on money invested in the business → so what, Gartner turns capital into earnings better than many service firms.
$3.0B
long-term debt
Debt is 21% of capital, which is manageable, but it matters more when projected earnings growth drops to 5.0%.
Financial health
B++
strength
- balance sheet grade B++ — above average financial health
- risk rank 3 — safer than 50% of stocks
- price stability 50 / 100
- long-term debt $3.0B (21% of capital)
- net profit margin 14.8% — keeps 15 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 40% — $0.40 profit for every $1 investors have put in
B++ — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in IT 3 years ago → it's now worth $5,810.
The index would have given you $13,880.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
beat estimates
Revenue hit $4.7B and EPS reached $6.35, both far above the year-ago period.
The last reported earnings also beat analyst estimates at $3.94 versus $3.83, a 2.87% surprise. Gross margin was 69.1%, which tells you the core information product still prints money.
$4.7B
revenue
$6.35
eps
69.1%
gross margin
the number that mattered
69.1% gross margin matters most because gross margin → money left after delivering the product → so what, Gartner's research engine is still absurdly efficient.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
gartner's business lives or dies on corporate clients renewing research relationships and continuing to spend on advisory work. the #1 risk is enterprise IT budget cuts hitting renewals.
med
enterprise IT budget cuts
When companies tighten spending, research subscriptions, consulting projects, and event budgets all come under pressure. This is a corporate budget line-item business.
If that pressure spreads, all $6.5B of revenue sits in the blast radius.
med
renewal slippage in the core franchise
The stock's valuation case leans on predictable recurring revenue. If clients start renewing more slowly, a 12.2x earnings multiple can stay cheap for a reason.
This matters because 80/100 earnings predictability is part of the bull case. If predictability slips, the quality premium goes with it.
med
slower growth stays slower
Revenue grew 3.7% last year, and the FY2026 EPS estimate sits at $13.00 versus $13.17 in FY2025. The market may be saying this is no longer a growth stock. It may be right.
If revenue struggles to reach the $7B FY2026 estimate, the long-term $254 midpoint target starts looking generous.
A freeze in enterprise spending would pressure 100% of Gartner's $6.5B revenue base, because every part of the model depends on corporations continuing to pay for advice.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
calendar
next earnings report
watch for q1 2026 results, typically reported in late april. the stock needs evidence that flat EPS expectations are too low.
metric
fy2026 eps estimate
currently $13.00. if that number starts rising above the FY2025 result of $13.17, the cheap-multiple story gets more credible.
trend
revenue acceleration
last year's revenue growth was 3.7%. this name does not need hypergrowth, but it does need proof that growth is not fading into the low single digits.
risk
institutional selling pressure
374 buyers versus 519 sellers in 3Q2025 tells you large holders have been reducing exposure. another net-selling quarter would keep sentiment heavy.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
top 20%
momentum score 2 — analysts expect above-average price performance in the year ahead. in human-speak, they think the stock has rebound potential.
risk profile
average
stability score 3 — this is neither a bunker stock nor a panic stock.
chart momentum
average
technical score 3 — the chart is not giving you a strong signal either way.
earnings predictability
80 / 100
management's results tend to land close to expectations. the business is more dependable than the stock price has been.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutions have been net selling for 2 consecutive quarters — 374 buyers vs. 519 sellers in 3q2025. total institutional holdings: 73.1M shares. net selling for 2 quarters.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$164
$344
$160
current price
$254
target midpoint · +59% from current · 3-5yr high: $410 (+155% · 27% ann'l return)
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