Why Parsons Stock Raced 4% Higher Today

Defense stock Parsons (NYSE: PSN) was a stock market winner on Thursday. The second-to-last day of the trading week saw the company's share price improve by 4% thanks in no small part to a positive analyst note. That little pop was sufficient to convincingly beat the S&P 500 index's 0.8% Thursday gain.

A bull bolsters his buy argument

Before market open, Tobey Sommer of Truist Securities published a new research note on Parsons in which he reiterated his buy recommendation on the company's shares.

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According to reports, Sommer's latest Parsons take is based on the company's organic sales growth so far this year; in the analyst's opinion, this bodes well for its prospects in 2026. The pundit believes this growth will hit the mid-to-high teen percentage rates in 2025 over the previous year. 2026 should also witness improvements but at a more modest pace; Sommer believes organic growth will be only 4%.

Meanwhile, according to the prognosticator, Parsons is inexpensive on its current valuations. He pointed out that it is trading 27% higher than its peer group (government services), which isn't much higher than the three-year average premium of 20%. In his view it deserves to be much higher due to the company's unique blend of federal government contracting and its work in critical infrastructure.

A good 2025 so far

Parsons has scored an admirable number of contract wins so far this year, so it isn't hard to be bullish on its future. As recently as this past Wednesday, it detailed plans to team up with IBM to build a next-generation air traffic control system for the government, and last month President Trump's administration said it scored a clutch of construction contracts abroad in Qatar.

Parsons bulls should, however, heed Sommer's observation that 2026 revenue growth might not be as substantial as what he expects for this year. If that forecast becomes reality, some investors are sure to be disappointed by the decline (and trade the stock accordingly).

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Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends International Business Machines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.