Gartner Inc (NYSE:IT) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports.

According to Zacks, “Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps clients understand technology and drive business growth. Gartner’s divisions consist of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting, Gartner Measurement and Gartner Events. Gartner has the most comprehensive body of global research that reports on and analyzes the technologies that drive business and organizational success. Gartner Consulting leverages the company’s industry-leading research capabilities to deliver hands-on client support, from strategy to measurable results. “

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on IT. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $94.00 price target (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Gartner in a research report on Thursday, December 17th. RBC Capital raised their price target on shares of Gartner from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Gartner in a research report on Monday, November 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. FBR & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Gartner from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 6th. Finally, William Blair restated a “buy” rating on shares of Gartner in a report on Friday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $93.25.

In other Gartner news, SVP David Godfrey sold 5,596 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.37, for a total transaction of $494,518.52. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $527,834.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Alwyn Dawkins sold 5,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.39, for a total transaction of $454,670.57. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,767 shares in the company, valued at $1,362,111.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Gartner (NYSE:IT) traded up 3.10% during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $87.89. 617,677 shares of the stock traded hands. The stock has a market cap of $7.28 billion and a PE ratio of 44.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $87.49 and a 200-day moving average of $87.62. Gartner has a 12-month low of $74.39 and a 12-month high of $94.82.

Gartner (NYSE:IT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.03. The business earned $500.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $508.38 million. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.44 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Gartner will post $2.34 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of hedge funds and institutional investors have modified their holdings of the company. Simplex Trading increased its position in shares of Gartner by 350.0% in the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading now owns 9 shares of the company’s stock valued at $0 after buying an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Regions Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Gartner by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Regions Financial Corp now owns 6,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Oakbrook Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Gartner by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Oakbrook Investments LLC now owns 4,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $422,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its position in shares of Gartner by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 23,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,135,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reynolds Capital Management increased its position in shares of Gartner by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. Reynolds Capital Management now owns 5,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter.

Gartner, Inc. is an information technology (NYSE:IT) research and advisory company. The Company has three business segments: Research, Consulting and Events. Research segment provides objective insight on critical and timely technology and supply chain initiatives for CIOs (Chief Information Officers), other IT professionals, supply chain leaders, digital marketing professionals, technology companies and the institutional investment community through reports, briefings, tools, access to its analysts, peer networking services and membership programs. Consulting segment provides customized solutions to client needs through on-site, day-to-day support, as well as tools for measuring and improving IT performance with a focus on cost, performance, efficiency and quality. Events segment provides IT, supply chain and business professionals the opportunity to attend various symposia, conferences and exhibitions to learn, contribute and network with the peers.

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