Investing IdeasBrowse All StocksMarkets
Have your own idea? Try our Stock Screener
Header cover image

U.S. Professional Services Industry Analysis

UpdatedJan 17, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies151
  • 7D-1.5%
  • 3M-0.9%
  • 1Y-7.4%
  • YTD3.7%

Over the last 7 days, the Professional Services industry has dropped 1.5%, driven by pullbacks in Automatic Data Processing and UL Solutions of 2.1% and 11%, respectively. On the other hand Planet Labs PBC is actually up 27%. However, the industry is down 7.4% over the past year. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 17% per annum.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.S. Professional Services Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sat, 17 Jan 2026US$480.5bUS$251.7bUS$12.3b24.6x39x1.9x
Mon, 15 Dec 2025US$472.8bUS$250.6bUS$13.8b25x34.3x1.9x
Wed, 12 Nov 2025US$463.8bUS$249.7bUS$13.9b24.7x33.3x1.9x
Fri, 10 Oct 2025US$506.0bUS$251.4bUS$14.9b25.2x33.9x2x
Sun, 07 Sep 2025US$510.0bUS$251.5bUS$14.8b26.9x34.5x2x
Tue, 05 Aug 2025US$503.2bUS$252.3bUS$15.2b23.7x33x2x
Thu, 03 Jul 2025US$508.0bUS$245.0bUS$14.9b23.8x34.1x2.1x
Sat, 31 May 2025US$509.6bUS$244.7bUS$15.0b22.4x33.9x2.1x
Mon, 28 Apr 2025US$482.4bUS$241.3bUS$15.2b20.7x31.8x2x
Wed, 26 Mar 2025US$491.8bUS$241.8bUS$14.8b20.9x33.3x2x
Fri, 21 Feb 2025US$558.6bUS$243.7bUS$15.8b22.9x35.3x2.3x
Sun, 19 Jan 2025US$563.7bUS$246.2bUS$14.8b24.8x38.1x2.3x
Tue, 17 Dec 2024US$563.4bUS$242.3bUS$15.3b24.5x36.9x2.3x
Thu, 14 Nov 2024US$599.8bUS$247.7bUS$15.3b26.9x39.2x2.4x
Sat, 12 Oct 2024US$555.6bUS$241.2bUS$12.9b27.8x43.1x2.3x
Mon, 09 Sep 2024US$527.9bUS$234.8bUS$12.7b27.1x41.6x2.2x
Wed, 07 Aug 2024US$509.8bUS$234.3bUS$12.9b26.1x39.5x2.2x
Fri, 05 Jul 2024US$491.7bUS$237.9bUS$12.5b24.9x39.3x2.1x
Sun, 02 Jun 2024US$494.7bUS$238.7bUS$12.5b25.3x39.7x2.1x
Tue, 30 Apr 2024US$497.8bUS$241.3bUS$11.8b26.2x42.1x2.1x
Thu, 28 Mar 2024US$507.3bUS$233.7bUS$11.4b26.8x44.5x2.2x
Sat, 24 Feb 2024US$513.3bUS$232.8bUS$12.7b27.5x40.4x2.2x
Mon, 22 Jan 2024US$504.8bUS$237.0bUS$12.8b26x39.4x2.1x
Wed, 20 Dec 2023US$504.3bUS$237.0bUS$12.7b26.1x39.7x2.1x
Fri, 17 Nov 2023US$474.9bUS$236.6bUS$12.3b25.2x38.7x2x
Sun, 15 Oct 2023US$493.6bUS$239.1bUS$9.6b23x51.6x2.1x
Tue, 12 Sep 2023US$493.6bUS$234.3bUS$9.3b23x52.9x2.1x
Thu, 10 Aug 2023US$501.0bUS$234.3bUS$9.1b23x55x2.1x
Sat, 08 Jul 2023US$452.8bUS$229.7bUS$9.1b21.4x49.6x2x
Mon, 05 Jun 2023US$472.7bUS$231.8bUS$9.5b21.9x49.9x2x
Wed, 03 May 2023US$494.2bUS$233.3bUS$10.9b22.6x45.5x2.1x
Fri, 31 Mar 2023US$458.4bUS$228.3bUS$10.7b23.1x43x2x
Sun, 26 Feb 2023US$256.3bUS$163.7bUS$2.9b21.2x88.4x1.6x
Tue, 24 Jan 2023US$262.8bUS$161.9bUS$3.5b20.7x75x1.6x
Price to Earnings Ratio

75x


Total Market Cap: US$262.8bTotal Earnings: US$3.5bTotal Revenue: US$161.9bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.S. Professional Services Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 42.7x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are pessimistic on the American Professional Services industry, indicating that they anticipate long term growth rates will be lower than they have historically.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 39.0x which is lower than its 3-year average PE of 42.7x.
  • The industry is trading close to its 3-year average PS ratio of 2.1x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Professional Services industry have grown 52% per year over the last three years.
  • Revenues for these companies have grown 16% per year.
  • This means that more sales are being generated by these companies overall, and subsequently their profits are increasing too.

Industry Trends

Which industries have driven the changes within the U.S. Industrials industry?

US Market-0.34%
Industrials2.91%
Professional Services-1.52%
Research and Consulting Services-0.73%
HR Services-2.20%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the HR Services industry which is trading above its 3-year average PE ratio of 35.2x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 15.7%, which is higher than its past year's earnings decline of 1.0% per year.
  • Investors are most pessimistic about the Research and Consulting Services industry, which is trading below its 3-year average of 151x.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Research and Consulting Services industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 18% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings growth rate of 12% per year.
  • In contrast, the HR Services industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 16% per year over the next few years.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
PL Planet Labs PBCUS$28.7826.7%
+US$1.9b		653.4%PS32x
CACI CACI InternationalUS$635.406.1%
+US$805.0m		40.5%PE27.8x
WLDN Willdan GroupUS$133.9918.9%
+US$314.2m		252.7%PE47.6x
AMTM Amentum HoldingsUS$34.803.5%
+US$285.1m		52.7%PE128.5x
PSN ParsonsUS$72.473.6%
+US$270.5m		-23.9%PE32.2x

Latest News

PL
US$28.78
Planet Labs PBC
7D
26.7%
1Y
653.4%
PAYX
US$111.18
Paychex
7D
-2.3%
1Y
-24.0%
WLDN
US$133.99
Willdan Group
7D
18.9%
1Y
252.7%

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Stock Rockets 29% As Investors Are Less Pessimistic Than Expected

Jan 16
Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Stock Rockets 29% As Investors Are Less Pessimistic Than Expected
PSN
US$72.47
Parsons
7D
3.6%
1Y
-23.9%
ADP
US$260.44
Automatic Data Processing
7D
-2.1%
1Y
-12.1%
AMTM
US$34.80
Amentum Holdings
7D
3.5%
1Y
52.7%
BR
US$218.64
Broadridge Financial Solutions
7D
-2.1%
1Y
-5.1%

BR: Tokenization And Agentic AI Partnerships Will Drive Future Shareholder Returns

Narrative Update Analysts have kept their price target for Broadridge Financial Solutions broadly steady at about $269.38, reflecting only small tweaks to discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions in their updated models. What's in the News Broadridge agreed to take a minority stake in DeepSee and expand their partnership, aiming to apply agentic AI to post trade workflows such as fails research, inventory optimization and email orchestration for operations teams.
PAYC
US$148.41
Paycom Software
7D
-5.6%
1Y
-29.1%

PAYC: Automation And Share Repurchases Will Support Durable Margins Despite Softer Subscriptions

Analysts have nudged their average price target on Paycom Software lower, trimming it by about US$3 to reflect updated interest rate assumptions, softer expectations around subscription growth, and more cautious views following recent target cuts from several research firms. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates point to a more mixed setup for Paycom, with price targets coming down but opinions split on how attractive the risk or reward looks from here.
VRSK
US$220.41
Verisk Analytics
7D
-2.0%
1Y
-20.9%

VRSK: Guidance And AI Investment Will Balance Mixed Ratings And Execution Risks

Analysts have trimmed their fair value estimate for Verisk Analytics to about $248.56 from roughly $250.12, citing mixed recent ratings changes, a slightly higher discount rate, modestly softer revenue growth assumptions, and a marginally higher profit margin and P/E outlook that together leave the risk or reward profile more balanced. Analyst Commentary Bullish Takeaways Bullish analysts see the recent upgrade to an overweight stance as a sign that, even with a reduced US$275 price target from US$310, the shares still offer room for further execution on growth before valuation looks stretched to them.
PCTY
US$140.10
Paylocity Holding
7D
-6.8%
1Y
-28.9%

PCTY: Beat And Raise Cadence Will Support Long Term Capital Appreciation

Analysts have made a slight adjustment to their Paylocity fair value estimate to $193.85, reflecting updated assumptions for interest rates, earnings multiples, and recent research that includes both higher and lower price targets across firms. Analyst Commentary Recent research on Paylocity reflects a mix of optimism on execution and caution around the operating backdrop, with price targets clustering between US$175 and US$245 compared with the updated fair value estimate of US$193.85.
MMS
US$98.32
Maximus
7D
1.3%
1Y
25.4%

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $0.33

Jan 10
Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $0.33
BKSY
US$27.53
BlackSky Technology
7D
7.9%
1Y
134.7%

BKSY: Gradual Gen 3 Rollout Will Support Long Term Upside Potential

Analysts have trimmed their price target on BlackSky Technology to US$20 from US$24, citing revised expectations for a more gradual Gen-3 constellation rollout and continued budget uncertainty, which also leads them to lower revenue and adjusted EBITDA estimates for 2026 and 2027. Analyst Commentary Recent commentary around BlackSky reflects a mix of caution on timing and continued interest in the long term potential of the business.
EFX
US$219.57
Equifax
7D
-3.3%
1Y
-16.5%

EFX: High Entry Barriers Will Support Future Upside From Credit Score Competition

Analysts have trimmed their price targets on Equifax slightly, with one moving to a Hold at US$242 and another adjusting to US$271. These changes reflect updated views on growth, margins and future P/E assumptions following expected headwinds from FICO's Mortgage Direct License Program.
ULS
US$75.00
UL Solutions
7D
-11.1%
1Y
44.4%

ULS: Index Additions And Expanded Testing Network Will Support Measured Upside

Narrative Update on UL Solutions Analysts have kept their price target for UL Solutions effectively unchanged at about $91.71. This reflects only minimal tweaks to assumptions around discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E, rather than a shift in their overall view of the company.
CACI
US$635.40
CACI International
7D
6.1%
1Y
40.5%

CACI: Funded Backlog And Contract Wins Will Shape FY26 Risk Profile

Analysts have lifted their price target on CACI International from about $393 to $585, reflecting updated assumptions for revenue growth, profit margins, discount rates, and a higher future P/E multiple, with recent research pointing to stronger than expected quarterly results and a funded backlog that helps reduce risk around the FY26 outlook. Analyst Commentary Recent research on CACI International has been broadly constructive, with some firms lifting their price targets and highlighting a strong start to the year and an uptick in funded backlog that helps reduce perceived risk around the FY26 outlook.
BAH
US$97.40
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding
7D
1.3%
1Y
-28.4%