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

U.S. Professional Services Industry Analysis

UpdatedMay 03, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies148
  • 7D3.3%
  • 3M-11.8%
  • 1Y-20.2%
  • YTD-13.7%

The Professional Services industry is up 3.3% in the last week, with Automatic Data Processing up 9.0%. In contrast, the industry has lost 20% in the last 12 months. Earnings are forecast to grow by 15% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

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

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sun, 03 May 2026US$380.1bUS$247.5bUS$12.1b19.6x31.5x1.5x
Tue, 31 Mar 2026US$368.0bUS$245.7bUS$11.5b19x32x1.5x
Thu, 26 Feb 2026US$384.4bUS$245.9bUS$11.8b19.5x32.6x1.6x
Sat, 24 Jan 2026US$477.9bUS$262.7bUS$12.4b24.4x38.6x1.8x
Mon, 22 Dec 2025US$470.7bUS$251.6bUS$13.8b24.4x34x1.9x
Wed, 19 Nov 2025US$453.3bUS$249.9bUS$14.0b23.3x32.4x1.8x
Fri, 17 Oct 2025US$492.3bUS$251.4bUS$14.9b24.8x32.9x2x
Sun, 14 Sep 2025US$511.6bUS$251.1bUS$14.9b27x34.3x2x
Tue, 12 Aug 2025US$514.3bUS$253.8bUS$14.6b25.9x35.1x2x
Thu, 10 Jul 2025US$508.6bUS$245.0bUS$14.9b24.9x34.1x2.1x
Sat, 07 Jun 2025US$513.0bUS$244.8bUS$15.0b21.7x34.1x2.1x
Mon, 05 May 2025US$494.5bUS$241.9bUS$15.3b21.4x32.4x2x
Wed, 02 Apr 2025US$495.8bUS$241.7bUS$14.9b21.1x33.4x2.1x
Fri, 28 Feb 2025US$507.1bUS$241.7bUS$14.8b21.3x34.3x2.1x
Sun, 26 Jan 2025US$565.0bUS$246.5bUS$14.8b24.5x38.1x2.3x
Tue, 24 Dec 2024US$549.4bUS$245.1bUS$15.0b23.7x36.7x2.2x
Thu, 21 Nov 2024US$556.4bUS$242.2bUS$15.2b23.8x36.7x2.3x
Sat, 19 Oct 2024US$566.9bUS$241.2bUS$12.8b28.6x44.2x2.4x
Mon, 16 Sep 2024US$542.8bUS$234.8bUS$12.7b28x42.8x2.3x
Wed, 14 Aug 2024US$510.6bUS$234.8bUS$12.8b26x39.8x2.2x
Fri, 12 Jul 2024US$489.0bUS$237.9bUS$12.5b25.6x39.3x2.1x
Sun, 09 Jun 2024US$497.1bUS$238.6bUS$12.5b25.4x39.9x2.1x
Tue, 07 May 2024US$506.2bUS$238.4bUS$12.1b26x42x2.1x
Thu, 04 Apr 2024US$498.9bUS$233.7bUS$11.4b26.3x43.7x2.1x
Sat, 02 Mar 2024US$508.9bUS$232.9bUS$11.5b27x44.3x2.2x
Mon, 29 Jan 2024US$509.4bUS$238.1bUS$13.0b26.4x39.3x2.1x
Wed, 27 Dec 2023US$500.5bUS$237.0bUS$12.8b26.1x39.3x2.1x
Fri, 24 Nov 2023US$478.8bUS$236.9bUS$12.2b25.1x39.2x2x
Sun, 22 Oct 2023US$480.2bUS$239.1bUS$9.5b21.2x50.6x2x
Tue, 19 Sep 2023US$485.7bUS$230.9bUS$9.7b22.6x50.3x2.1x
Thu, 17 Aug 2023US$498.8bUS$234.3bUS$9.2b23x54.3x2.1x
Sat, 15 Jul 2023US$471.2bUS$230.3bUS$9.1b20.8x51.5x2x
Mon, 12 Jun 2023US$475.8bUS$231.9bUS$9.5b22.6x50.1x2.1x
Wed, 10 May 2023US$452.5bUS$231.6bUS$9.8b21x46.3x2x
Price to Earnings Ratio

46.3x


Total Market Cap: US$452.5bTotal Earnings: US$9.8bTotal Revenue: US$231.6bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.S. Professional Services Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 39.6x202420252026
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 31.5x which is lower than its 3-year average PE of 39.6x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 2.1x is higher than the industry's current PS ratio of 1.5x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Professional Services industry have grown 7.3% per year over the last three years.
  • Revenues for these companies have grown 2.2% 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 Market0.85%
Industrials0.55%
Professional Services3.28%
HR Services6.59%
Research and Consulting Services1.17%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the HR Services industry, which is trading close to its 3-year average PE ratio of 36.0x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 12.3%, which is higher than its past year's earnings decline of 1.6% per year.
  • Investors are most pessimistic about the Research and Consulting Services industry, which is trading below its 3-year average of 141x.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Research and Consulting Services industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 17% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings growth rate of 2.4% per year.
  • In contrast, the HR Services industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 12% 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
ADP Automatic Data ProcessingUS$214.219.0%
+US$6.7b		-29.4%PE19.7x
PAYX PaychexUS$93.023.6%
+US$1.1b		-37.9%PE20.4x
PL Planet Labs PBCUS$36.904.1%
+US$505.4m		951.3%PS41.5x
SSNC SS&C Technologies HoldingsUS$69.293.0%
+US$481.5m		-10.8%PE20.6x
VRSK Verisk AnalyticsUS$181.112.0%
+US$465.0m		-38.4%PE26.1x

Latest News

NSP
US$28.53
Insperity
7D
-12.9%
1Y
-57.3%

Insperity, Inc. (NYSE:NSP) First-Quarter Results: Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting For This Year

May 03
Insperity, Inc. (NYSE:NSP) First-Quarter Results: Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting For This Year
PAYX
US$93.02
Paychex
7D
3.6%
1Y
-37.9%
LDOS
US$149.23
Leidos Holdings
7D
2.2%
1Y
0.3%
FCN
US$173.82
FTI Consulting
7D
-5.7%
1Y
4.4%
BR
US$155.25
Broadridge Financial Solutions
7D
0.1%
1Y
-33.3%
ADP
US$214.21
Automatic Data Processing
7D
9.0%
1Y
-29.4%

Analysts Are Updating Their Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Estimates After Its Third-Quarter Results

May 02
Analysts Are Updating Their Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Estimates After Its Third-Quarter Results
VRSK
US$181.11
Verisk Analytics
7D
2.0%
1Y
-38.4%
PSN
US$50.87
Parsons
7D
-4.8%
1Y
-19.0%
CACI
US$513.29
CACI International
7D
-0.6%
1Y
10.8%

CACI: ARKA Integration And Federal Contract Wins Will Shape Future Expectations

Analysts have reduced the fair value estimate for CACI International by about $54. This reflects updated assumptions for a higher discount rate, more moderate revenue growth and profit margins, and a higher future P/E, in line with the recent series of price target reductions across the Street.
SSNC
US$69.29
SS&C Technologies Holdings
7D
3.0%
1Y
-10.8%
TRU
US$70.53
TransUnion
7D
-2.9%
1Y
-17.0%
PL
US$36.90
Planet Labs PBC
7D
4.1%
1Y
951.3%

PL: On Orbit AI Intelligence Will Drive Future Upside

Analysts kept their Planet Labs PBC fair value estimate steady at $40.00 per share, citing only minor adjustments in inputs such as revenue growth, profit margin and very large forward P/E assumptions as the basis for reaffirming their price target. What's in the News Planet Labs reported a successful test of AI-driven object detection running directly on its Pelican 4 satellite using an NVIDIA Jetson Orin module, with early models reaching 80% detection accuracy on raw imagery and on-orbit processing designed to generate GeoTIFF and GeoJSON insights within minutes of capture (Client Announcements).
WLDN
US$73.98
Willdan Group
7D
-5.1%
1Y
86.5%
PAYC
US$131.96
Paycom Software
7D
6.7%
1Y
-42.0%

PAYC: Early 2026 Buybacks Will Support Future Upside Potential

Narrative Update The analyst price target for Paycom Software has narrowed slightly, with the updated fair value moving from about $153.59 to $151.53 as analysts factor in a modestly lower future P/E and recent waves of both target cuts and increases tied to the company's large share repurchase activity and shifting sentiment across covering firms. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates on Paycom Software show a split between analysts who focus on the scale of the buyback and those who focus on execution risks and valuation reset.
CNXC
US$24.53
Concentrix
7D
-6.3%
1Y
-52.0%

CNXC: Margin Resilience And Buybacks Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have trimmed their Concentrix price targets by $12 to $25, citing more conservative assumptions around future P/E multiples, while keeping fair value, discount rate, and margin expectations broadly unchanged. Analyst Commentary Bullish Takeaways Bullish analysts appear to see the P/E reset as a way to align expectations more closely with current sentiment, which can reduce the risk of overpaying for near term execution.
PCTY
US$109.60
Paylocity Holding
7D
7.3%
1Y
-41.5%

PCTY: Lower Multiple And Buybacks Will Support Future Share Price Rebound

Analysts have reduced the Paylocity Holding price target by $52.88. The updated $114.00 level reflects revised expectations for growth, profitability and future P/E multiples following a series of downward target moves across the Street.