LDOS vs PSN: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: LDOS is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. LDOS and PSN share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined LDOS and PSN exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Leidos Holdings is a large government services and technology contractor that builds and runs mission systems for U.S. federal agencies and allied governments. Its work spans intelligence and digital modernization, cybersecurity, defense systems, homeland security (including airport and border screening technology), and health services such as medical exams and health IT. Roughly the bulk of its revenue comes from the U.S. government, making it a prime contractor on long-duration programs rather than a commercial-product company.

Full LDOS guide

Parsons Corporation is a technology-driven provider of services to the U.S. government and to owners of complex infrastructure. It reports in two segments: Federal Solutions, which delivers cybersecurity, missile defense, intelligence, space and ground systems, geospatial and signals intelligence, environmental remediation, and border and critical-infrastructure security, primarily to the Intelligence Community, the Departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, and agencies like NASA and the FAA; and Critical Infrastructure, which provides program management, design and engineering, and owner's-representative support for large physical and digital projects worldwide. Federal Solutions has historically contributed a bit over half of revenue and Critical Infrastructure the rest, so the company sits at the intersection of national-security spending and infrastructure investment rather than any single commercial end market.

Full PSN guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• LDOS drivers: Large backlog and revenue visibility; Margin expansion and cash generation.
• PSN drivers: Backlog, book-to-bill, and new awards; Margins and mix shift.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The overwhelming majority of Leidos revenue comes from the U.S. For PSN, the most immediate risk is concentration: the wind-down of a single confidential contract was enough to turn organic growth negative in early 2026, showing how much one program can move results, and consensus now expects Q3 2026 revenue to fall about 10% from a year earlier.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick LDOS if you believe its drivers more; PSN if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the LDOS and PSN guides.

LDOS. In its most recent reported quarter (fiscal Q2 2026, ended July 3, 2026), Leidos posted about $4.56 billion in revenue and adjusted EPS of $3.26 against a $2.91 estimate. At about $124.52 on October 16, 2026 the stock trades near 9.9 times forward earnings and 9 times EV/EBITDA, a discount to the broader market that has widened as the shares fell about 32% year to date; the 15 covering analysts carry a mean target near $152. Q3 2026 results are due November 3, with consensus EPS near $3.04 on about $4.71 billion of revenue; figures are approximate and drawn from Yahoo Finance as of October 2026.

PSN. Figures are approximate and tied to the asOf date; verify live numbers before acting. At about 30x trailing GAAP earnings but only about 13x forward estimates, the valuation is a bet that 2027 earnings (consensus about $3.42 per share, up roughly 41%) recover as the confidential contract rolls off and new awards ramp. The average analyst target near $58 sits well above the price, but Q3 results on October 28, 2026 (consensus about $0.77 per share on $1.62 billion of revenue) are the next test of that timeline.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): LDOS shows revenue (ttm) ~$17.6B, latest quarter revenue (q2 2026) ~$4.56B (up ~7% YoY), operating margin (ttm) ~11.7%, net income (ttm) ~$1.38B; PSN shows revenue (ttm) ~$6.29 billion (Q2 2026 ~$1.58 billion, roughly flat year over year), net income (ttm) ~$157 million (Q2 2026 GAAP net loss ~$15 million), q2 2026 adjusted eps ~$0.86 vs ~$0.76 consensus, margins (ttm) ~22% gross, ~2.2% operating, ~2.5% net.

LDOS and PSN are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined LDOS and PSN exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.