IQVIA (IQV) posted better-than-expected Q1 revenue and EPS, reinforcing contract research organization recovery thesis, RBC Capital Markets said in a note Tuesday.

"We believe the setup is positive," the report said, pointing to

accelerated organic growth, AI tailwind, and mid-to-high single digits growth in forward-looking demand indicators.

The note pointed to improving growth in Commercial, driven in part by strength in Patient Solutions and analytics & consulting.

The report said it reflects large pharma deploying capital towards late-stage assets with the highest probability of success.

AI-enabled offerings are also gaining traction, with clients selecting IQVIA to build AI-ready data foundations and record pipelines in analytics & consulting, the report added.

RBC kept its outperform rating and $221 price target.

Price: 177.38, Change: +0.96, Percent Change: +0.54