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Chicago, IL – September 23, 2025 – Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses Stantec Inc. STN, FTI Consulting, Inc. FCN and Exponent, Inc. EXPO.
Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/2755045/3-stocks-to-consider-from-the-prosperous-consulting-services-industry
Economic strength, encouraging service activities, increased adoption and the success of the work-from-home trend enable Zacks Consulting Services industry players to support the demand environment.
Driven by these positives, investors interested in the industry would do well to consider including stocks like Stantec Inc., FTI Consulting, Inc. and Exponent, Inc. in their portfolios.
Companies grouped under the Consulting Services category offer professional advice in management, IT, human resources, environmental regulations, logistics and marketing, and real estate, serving multiple end markets. The space includes prominent names such as Accenture and Gartner.
The industry focuses on channeling money and efforts toward more effective operational components, such as technology, digital transformation and data-driven decision-making. To position themselves suitably in the post-pandemic era and better utilize the opportunities that an economic recovery will bring, service providers are increasing their efforts to formulate and reassess strategic initiatives, identify sources of demand and target end markets.
Exponential Growth: This multi-billion-dollar industry has entered a trajectory of exponential expansion since the 2008 financial crisis, fueled by digital transformation and innovation-driven efficiencies. The trend has sustained steady revenues, profits and cash-flow growth, enabling most industry players to distribute stable dividends.
Economic Recovery: The sector is a major beneficiary of the broader economy and increasingly digital-driven service activities. According to the second estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the economy remained resilient, with GDP growing 3.3% in the second quarter of 2025 against a 0.5% decline in the first quarter. Non-manufacturing activities retained strength, as evidenced by the Services PMI, which stayed above the 50% threshold for the 13th time in 14 months.
Strong Demand Environment: The consulting services industry remains among the least disrupted by recent global uncertainties. Even in volatile conditions, organizations seek extensive guidance on safeguarding their workforce while strengthening ties with consumers and shareholders. The industry was an early pioneer of remote collaboration, now embedded in the new normal. Its work model allows players to operate efficiently, increasingly powered by AI-driven insights, digital platforms, and agile delivery frameworks.
The Consulting Services industry, which is housed within the broader Business Services sector, currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank of #87. This rank places it in the top 36% of 250 Zacks industries.
The group's Zacks Industry Rank, which is the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates solid near-term growth prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than two to one.
Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let's take a look at the industry's recent stock market performance and current valuation.
The Consulting Services industry has underperformed the S&P 500 composite and the broader sector in the past year. The industry has declined 27% against the S&P 500 composite's gain of 19% and the broader sector's 4% rise.
On the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E), which is a commonly used multiple for valuing consulting services companies, we see that the industry is currently trading at 21.54X, above the S&P 500's 23.53X and the sector's 21.66X.
FTI Consulting's diversified offerings and international operations strengthen top-line growth prospects. In 2024, the company earned almost 36% of its revenues from its international businesses. The broad range of practices and services, diversified revenue streams, specialized industry expertise, and global reach differentiate FTI Consulting from its competitors. This diversification assists the company in mitigating the impacts of economic cycles, crises, events and changes in a particular practice, industry, or country. FCN's revenues have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 8.5% from 2020 to 2024.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's 2025 EPS has increased 1.5% in the past 60 days to $1.97. FCN currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Exponent: Technological innovation continues to raise both complexity and safety expectations, and Exponent is well-positioned to capitalize on these shifts. With a strong foundation of talent and deep multidisciplinary expertise, the company delivered year-over-year growth in dispute-related activities across construction, automotive, and medical devices.
Proactive risk management work in the utilities sector further supported performance, offsetting softer demand in chemical regulatory engagements. Encouragingly, momentum is building in early-stage work tied to digital health, AI usability, and distributed energy systems, areas with substantial growth potential. These drivers underscore Exponent's ability to achieve sustainable growth and create long-term shareholder value.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's 2025 EPS has increased 0.5% in the past 60 days to $1.97. EXPO currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.
Stantec: The company provides professional services in the areas of infrastructure and facilities. It remains well-positioned for continued success, supported by industry resilience and effective internal strategies. The company benefits from strong macroeconomic and structural drivers while maintaining sharp execution on its projects, enabling margin expansion and earnings growth.
Stantec operates in a resilient sector shaped by long-term global needs, including water security, aging infrastructure, climate change response, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies. These trends are expected to sustain strong project demand across regions.
Stantec's consistent focus on high-quality project execution and addressing clients' most urgent infrastructure and sustainability challenges supports steady growth. This disciplined approach continues to drive margin improvement and robust earnings performance.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's 2025 EPS increased 1% in the past 60 days to $3.89. STN currently sports a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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