Parsons shares fall over 8% as Q4 results miss estimates, contract concerns

Published 19/02/2025, 12:40
Updated 19/02/2025, 16:41
Parsons shares fall over 8% as Q4 results miss estimates, contract concerns

NEW YORK - Parsons Corporation (NYSE:PSN) shares dropped 8.6% on Wednesday, after the defense and infrastructure company reported fourth quarter results that fell short of analyst expectations. The company also announced a pause in a related program to their newly-renewed contract, warning that the project might be entirely halted.

The company’s 2025 guidance was largely in line with forecasts.

The Chantilly, Virginia-based company posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.78 for the fourth quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91. Revenue came in at $1.73 billion, below analysts’ projections of $1.76 billion.

Despite the earnings miss, Parsons reported record revenue of $1.7 billion for the quarter, up 16% YoY. Organic revenue growth was 14%, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of double-digit organic growth.

"2024 was another exceptional year for Parsons. We achieved record results for total revenue, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, operating cash flow, contract win rates, and contract awards," said Carey Smith, chair, president, and chief executive officer.

For fiscal year 2025, Parsons expects revenue between $7.0 billion and $7.5 billion, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.34 billion.

The company’s book-to-bill ratio was 1.0 for both the fourth quarter and full year 2024. Total (EPA:TTEF) backlog stood at $8.9 billion at year-end, up 4% from the prior year.

Parsons won six single-award contracts worth more than $100 million each during Q4, bringing its total to 15 such contract wins for the full year 2024.

TD Cowen analyst Guatam Khanna maintained a Buy rating and price target of $105.00, commenting, "Language in the 10K highlights risk on the recently extended ’confidential’ contract."

The analyst cited Wednesdays 10K release, in which Parsons stated, "Parsons was awarded the second option year to continue our contract with a confidential customer through February 2026. However, a related program performed by others has recently been paused, which impacts our ability to complete the scope of our mission. The long-term continuation of our contract is contingent on the related program restarting. If the project is halted, it would have a material adverse impact."

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