A class action lawsuit was filed against research and advisory company Gartner (IT) on March 17, 2026.
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Plaintiffs allege that they bought Gartner stock at artificially inflated prices between February 4, 2025 and February 2, 2026, known as the Class Period. They are now seeking compensation for financial losses incurred upon public revelation of the company’s alleged misconduct during that time. To learn whether you may be eligible for a recovery under the securities lawsuit click here.
What Does Gartner Do?
Gartner is a strategic consulting firm in the United States and abroad. In addition to the direct consulting provided through its Consulting segment, the company promotes business and technological awareness to help its clients – including corporate leaders here and overseas – make important operating decisions. It does so through its Insights and Conferences segments.
The company’s history dates to 1979 and it is based in Stamford, Connecticut. Gartner says it now has more than 20,000 associates and a presence in 90 countries and territories globally.
Why are Shareholders Suing Gartner?
Investors allege that the company misrepresented its ability to achieve accelerating contract value growth rates and meet consulting revenue targets through materially false and misleading statements and material omissions in public financial disclosures despite ongoing industry challenges.
The truth allegedly emerged in two phases during 2025 and early 2026, when Gartner disclosed significant declines in contract value growth and consulting segment shortfalls that contradicted optimistic projections and prior forward-looking revenue guidance. These revelations resulted in a cumulative decline of approximately 48% across two disclosure dates, an event-driven stock price decline that investors attribute to corrective disclosures.
Deeper Dive into Gartner’s Woes
The complaint targets Gartner, Inc., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Eugene A. Hall, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Craig W. Safian.
On February 4, 2025, Safian announced during an earnings call that the company’s guidance and forward-looking revenue forecast reflected contract value (CV) continuing to accelerate during 2025, stating that with 12% to 16% research CV growth, the company would deliver double-digit revenue growth, which investors allege was a misleading statement.
During the same earnings call, Hall reinforced this optimistic outlook, explaining that over the course of 2025 and when exiting the year, he expected CV growth to exceed 7.8% and continue accelerating first to double digits and then to the medium-term objective of 12% to 16%, which, investors allege, artificially inflated the stock price. The company maintained this confident stance throughout the following months, including in SEC disclosures and investor communications.
By November 4, 2025, Hall told investors that the selling environment with tariff-impacted companies was starting to improve, suggesting there was more tariff certainty and clients were focused on how to deal with it, statements investors allege concealed persisting headwinds to contract value growth.
The Truth Emerges
The truth began to surface on August 5, 2025, when Gartner revealed that overall CV growth had declined from 7% the previous quarter to only 5%, while CV growth excluding the U.S. federal government had similarly dropped from 8% to merely 6%. Hall acknowledged during the earnings call that the company had a high degree of confidence in what caused these headwinds because they tracked the reason for every loss for both renewals and potential new business, identifying the largest headwind as being with the U.S. federal government.
The full truth finally emerged on February 3, 2026, when Gartner again announced a significant decline in its CV growth rate, as part of its Q4 2025 financial results, which had faltered another 2% both including and excluding federal contracts. For the first time, the company disclosed a significant shortfall of its Consulting segment’s performance against internal projections, reporting fourth quarter consulting revenue of $134 million compared with $153 million in the year ago period, and provided a 2026 outlook with a 2026 revenue forecast below analyst expectations. These revelations directly contradicted the company’s prior assurances about accelerating CV growth and the ability to meet consulting segment targets.
In the last six months the company’s share price has dropped by 31% – see above.
Actions You May Take
If you have purchased the company’s stock during the Class Period, you may join the securities lawsuit as a lead plaintiff, remain a passive class member, or opt out of this litigation and pursue individual claims that may not be available to the class as a whole. To learn more about your options, click here.
The deadline to file for lead plaintiff in this securities lawsuit is May 18, 2026.