Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Parsons (NYSE:PSN) Stock Price

Parsons (NYSE:PSN) had its target price dropped by analysts at Barclays from $70.00 to $60.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 48.46% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Parsons in a report on Wednesday. KeyCorp lowered shares of Parsons from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Parsons in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Parsons from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Parsons in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.91.

Parsons Price Performance

Shares of PSN stock opened at $40.41 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $55.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.38. Parsons has a 52-week low of $36.26 and a 52-week high of $89.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.66.

Parsons (NYSE:PSN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.82). Parsons had a net margin of 3.62% and a return on equity of 11.52%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Parsons will post 2.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Parsons

In other news, CEO Carey A. Smith purchased 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $49.97 per share, for a total transaction of $624,625.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 575,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,751,538.72. This represents a 2.22% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director George L. Ball purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $50.00 per share, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 150,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,519,150. This trade represents a 7.12% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 32,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,637,325. 1.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Parsons

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of Parsons by 654.7% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,052,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,047,000 after acquiring an additional 913,079 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Parsons by 10.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,892,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,494,000 after purchasing an additional 179,463 shares during the last quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Parsons in the fourth quarter worth about $8,044,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Parsons by 771.0% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 31,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,918,000 after buying an additional 27,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in shares of Parsons in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,853,000. Institutional investors own 98.02% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Parsons

Here are the key news stories impacting Parsons this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Parsons reported continued demand strength, including a 24% year-over-year increase in contract awards, a 1.2x quarterly book-to-bill ratio, and a $9.3 billion total backlog. Federal Solutions bookings increased 51%, while Middle East operations delivered 10% organic revenue growth. Parsons Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said portfolio-shaping actions are intended to prioritize more profitable, sustainable growth. However, those initiatives and charges tied to a joint-venture program affected second-quarter results, making the near-term earnings impact difficult to assess. Parsons Q2 revenue falls to $1.6 billion as net loss hits $15 million
• Negative Sentiment: Parsons reported quarterly adjusted EPS of negative $0.06, far below the approximately $0.74–$0.76 analyst consensus and down from $0.78 a year earlier. Revenue of about $1.59 billion also slightly missed expectations and fell roughly 1% year over year; net income turned into a $15 million loss. Parsons Reports Q2 Loss, Lags Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: The company lowered fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to $6.2 billion–$6.5 billion, below the roughly $6.7 billion consensus estimate. The outlook reduction, combined with the earnings miss, prompted a significant sell-off and pushed shares to a new 12-month low. Parsons plunges after slashing full-year guidance

About Parsons

Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN) is a technology-driven engineering, construction, technical and professional services firm. The company delivers end-to-end solutions that span feasibility studies, design and engineering, construction management, system integration and ongoing operations support. Parsons serves both government and commercial clients and focuses on critical infrastructure, defense, security, intelligence and environmental programs.

Core services include program and construction management for transportation systems, water and environmental infrastructure, cybersecurity and advanced systems integration.