Goldman Sachs downgrades Parsons stock to Neutral on growth concerns

Published 13/08/2025, 10:08
Goldman Sachs downgrades Parsons stock to Neutral on growth concerns

Investing.com - Goldman Sachs downgraded Parsons Corp . (NYSE:PSN) from Buy to Neutral on Wednesday, while slightly raising its price target to $81.00 from $80.00. The stock, currently trading at $80.01, has shown strong momentum with a 9% return over the past six months, though InvestingPro data indicates it’s trading in overbought territory.

The investment bank cited concerns about Parsons’ ability to meet its fiscal year 2025 guidance and noted potential growth headwinds extending into 2026 as the company laps approximately $300 million of "Confidential" contribution in the first half of 2025. Despite these concerns, InvestingPro analysis shows the company maintains a GOOD financial health score of 2.94, with liquid assets exceeding short-term obligations.

Goldman Sachs acknowledged Parsons continues to demonstrate strong organic revenue growth within its core businesses, excluding the "Confidential" segment, and views the company’s Critical Infrastructure segment as a unique asset for both organic revenue and margin expansion.

Despite these positive factors, Goldman Sachs expressed concern about Parsons’ valuation, noting it trades at 13.6 times calendar year 2026 EV/EBITDA, making it the most expensive name in Goldman’s Government IT coverage.

The downgrade comes amid what Goldman Sachs described as "lingering questions around medium-term growth" for the defense and infrastructure company.

In other recent news, Parsons Corporation reported its second-quarter earnings for 2025, surpassing earnings per share (EPS) expectations with a reported EPS of $0.78, compared to the forecasted $0.749. Despite this positive EPS result, the company experienced a revenue shortfall, reporting $1.58 billion against the anticipated $1.61 billion, a 5% decrease from the previous year. In a separate development, Parsons secured a $30 million contract from the U.S. Army to provide radar development engineering services, which includes a 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods. Additionally, Baird upgraded Parsons’ stock rating from Neutral to Outperform, citing strong growth prospects and potential near-term catalysts related to FAA and Golden Dome projects. Baird also raised its price target for Parsons to $92.00 from $78.00. These recent developments highlight the mixed performance and future opportunities for Parsons Corporation.

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