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ACM or J or STN
Which Stock Would AI Choose? AECOM (ACM) vs. Jacobs Solutions (J) vs. Stantec (STN) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- All three stocks operate in the engineering and consulting sector, with recent price declines amid broader market pressures, but J shows the strongest backlog growth at a record $27 billion.
- ACM secured key environmental contracts, including with USACE Baltimore District, supporting its infrastructure focus despite YTD declines of about 15%.
- J reported robust Q2 fiscal 2026 results with 22% adjusted EPS growth to $1.75 and AI-driven data center demand boosting revenues over 100% YoY.
- STN maintains steady backlog growth to around $8 billion, with emphasis on sustainability revenue comprising 68% of total (C$5.5 billion).
- Valuation-wise, ACM trades at a forward P/E of approximately 18x, lower than peers, amid recent contract wins in environmental services.
- Relative performance: YTD returns are negative across the board (ACM -15%, J -10%, STN -7%), reflecting sector headwinds but with growth catalysts intact.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines ACM (AECOM), J (Jacobs Solutions), and STN (Stantec), three leaders in engineering, infrastructure, and consulting services. Operating in a sector buoyed by global infrastructure spending, AI data center buildouts, and environmental remediation needs, these firms offer exposure to resilient demand drivers. Traders seeking momentum plays and investors eyeing long-term growth in public-private partnerships will find value in analyzing their recent performance, backlogs, and sector positioning amid current market volatility. This analysis highlights relative strengths in recent market activity for informed decision-making.
AECOM Overview and Recent Performance
ACM (AECOM) is a global infrastructure consulting firm providing design, engineering, and management services across transportation, water, environmental, and energy sectors. With approximately 51,000 employees and $16 billion in annual revenue, it serves governments and private clients worldwide. In recent weeks, ACM shares have traded around $80, down about 15% YTD and 22% over the past year, reflecting broader industrials sector pressures and post-earnings adjustments. Sentiment has been influenced by contract wins, including a multiple-award environmental remediation deal with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Baltimore District, emphasizing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) expertise and site mitigation across U.S. territories. This bolsters its environmental segment amid steady revenue growth forecasts of 6-11% over multi-year horizons. Trading near 52-week lows around $79-81, the stock's P/E of about 23x suggests relative value, with analysts noting undervaluation potential.
Jacobs Solutions Overview and Recent Performance
J (Jacobs Solutions) delivers engineering, procurement, construction, and consulting services in infrastructure, advanced facilities, and critical sectors like defense, energy, and life sciences. Employing around 60,000, it generated $12 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue. Recent market activity saw J shares around $118-122, down 10% YTD but with a record $27 billion backlog up 22% YoY, signaling robust future revenue visibility. Q2 fiscal 2026 results showed adjusted EPS of $1.75 (up 22% YoY), adjusted net revenue growth of 9%, and over 100% YoY surge in data center revenues driven by AI infrastructure demand. This has lifted FY26 guidance, with analysts raising price targets (e.g., RBC to $169). Despite 1-year returns lagging at 2%, book-to-bill ratios above 1.2x and AI-related catalysts have improved sentiment, positioning J for acceleration.
Stantec Overview and Recent Performance
STN (Stantec) offers professional services in engineering, architecture, environmental sciences, and project management for infrastructure, water, buildings, and energy projects across North America and internationally. With 34,000 employees and CAD 6.5 billion in recent annual revenue, it focuses on sustainable solutions. Shares have hovered around $87, down 7% YTD, with 1-year returns at 7%, amid stable but softer momentum compared to peers. Recent highlights include a 19th annual sustainability report noting 68% of revenue (CAD 5.5 billion) from sustainability-driven projects, and backlog growth to approximately $8 billion with 9-10% organic increases. Contract awards in water and climate adaptation, such as with the European Investment Bank, support steady execution. P/E around 29x reflects premium for consistent margins (17-19% adjusted EBITDA), though recent weeks show minor pullbacks in line with sector trends.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
ACM, J, and STN share engineering and infrastructure models but diverge in scale and focus. ACM ($16B revenue) emphasizes U.S. government environmental/transportation, with recent USACE wins contrasting peers' broader diversification. J ($12B revenue, $27B backlog) leads in AI data centers (100%+ growth) and defense, offering superior growth drivers versus STN's ($6.5B revenue, $8B backlog) sustainability tilt (68% revenue share). Recent momentum favors J's EPS/book-to-bill strength, while ACM lags YTD but trades cheapest (P/E ~18-23x vs. J 36x, STN 29x). Risks include project delays for all, but J faces higher debt sensitivity; STN offers stability via organic backlog growth. Valuation trade-offs: ACM for value, J for catalysts, STN for consistency.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors J (Jacobs Solutions) due to its trend consistency in AI infrastructure demand, record $27 billion backlog providing multi-year visibility, and recent Q2 beats with raised guidance. Relative to ACM and STN, J shows superior catalysts like 100%+ data center growth, positioning it probabilistically stronger in the near term amid sector recovery, though all benefit from infrastructure tailwinds.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
ACM’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileJ’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s), and STN’s FA Score reflects 0 green FA rating(s).
- ACM’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- J’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- STN’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
ACM’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while J’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and STN’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- ACM’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
- J’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
- STN’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
ACM (@Engineering & Construction) experienced а -2.49% price change this week, while J (@Engineering & Construction) price change was -4.71% , and STN (@Engineering & Construction) price fluctuated -3.86% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Engineering & Construction industry was -1.69%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.51%, and the average quarterly price growth was +27.26%.
Reported Earning Dates
ACM is expected to report earnings on Aug 10, 2026.
J is expected to report earnings on Aug 11, 2026.
STN is expected to report earnings on Aug 12, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Engineering & Construction (-1.69% weekly)Engineering & Construction includes companies that engage in non-residential construction and contract services, including ventilation, heating and air conditioning (HVAC) services. The level/value of construction & engineering activity is one of the potentially relevant indicators of the health of businesses, and hence of the overall economy. Some of the large-cap U.S. companies in this industry include Jacobs Engineering Group Inc,, AECOM and Quanta Services, Inc.
| ACM | J | STN | |
| Capitalization | 8.88B | 14.3B | 7.79B |
| EBITDA | 1.3B | 894M | 1.13B |
| Gain YTD | -28.332 | -9.871 | -27.406 |
| P/E Ratio | 14.17 | 35.01 | 22.62 |
| Revenue | 16B | 13.2B | 8.29B |
| Total Cash | 1.03B | 1.37B | 374M |
| Total Debt | 3.22B | 4.56B | 2.59B |
ACM | J | STN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 3 | 74 | 17 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 30 Undervalued | 36 Fair valued | 42 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 92 | 88 | 69 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 43 | 69 | 56 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 77 | 57 | 80 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 88 | 69 | 91 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 | 85 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
ACM's Valuation (30) in the Engineering And Construction industry is in the same range as J (36) in the null industry, and is in the same range as STN (42) in the Engineering And Construction industry. This means that ACM's stock grew similarly to J’s and similarly to STN’s over the last 12 months.
STN's Profit vs Risk Rating (69) in the Engineering And Construction industry is in the same range as J (88) in the null industry, and is in the same range as ACM (92) in the Engineering And Construction industry. This means that STN's stock grew similarly to J’s and similarly to ACM’s over the last 12 months.
ACM's SMR Rating (43) in the Engineering And Construction industry is in the same range as STN (56) in the Engineering And Construction industry, and is in the same range as J (69) in the null industry. This means that ACM's stock grew similarly to STN’s and similarly to J’s over the last 12 months.
J's Price Growth Rating (57) in the null industry is in the same range as ACM (77) in the Engineering And Construction industry, and is in the same range as STN (80) in the Engineering And Construction industry. This means that J's stock grew similarly to ACM’s and similarly to STN’s over the last 12 months.
J's P/E Growth Rating (69) in the null industry is in the same range as ACM (88) in the Engineering And Construction industry, and is in the same range as STN (91) in the Engineering And Construction industry. This means that J's stock grew similarly to ACM’s and similarly to STN’s over the last 12 months.
| ACM | J | STN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 65% | N/A | 2 days ago 84% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 58% | 2 days ago 67% | 2 days ago 65% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 56% | 2 days ago 51% | 2 days ago 57% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 55% | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 59% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 57% | 2 days ago 54% | 2 days ago 51% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 63% | 2 days ago 61% | 2 days ago 46% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 12 days ago 54% | 12 days ago 52% | 12 days ago 57% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 58% | 2 days ago 51% | 6 days ago 48% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 67% | 2 days ago 53% | 2 days ago 62% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 54% | 2 days ago 56% | 2 days ago 39% |
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ACM and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ACM has been loosely correlated with J. These tickers have moved in lockstep 63% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if ACM jumps, then J could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To ACM | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACM | 100% | -1.38% | ||
| J - ACM | 63% Loosely correlated | -1.88% | ||
| STN - ACM | 55% Loosely correlated | +1.20% | ||
| TTEK - ACM | 52% Loosely correlated | -0.80% | ||
| EXPO - ACM | 43% Loosely correlated | -1.86% | ||
| KBR - ACM | 39% Loosely correlated | -2.16% | ||
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J and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, J has been loosely correlated with ACM. These tickers have moved in lockstep 63% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if J jumps, then ACM could also see price increases.
STN and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, STN has been loosely correlated with ACM. These tickers have moved in lockstep 55% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if STN jumps, then ACM could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To STN | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STN | 100% | +1.20% | ||
| ACM - STN | 55% Loosely correlated | -1.38% | ||
| J - STN | 51% Loosely correlated | -1.88% | ||
| TTEK - STN | 45% Loosely correlated | -0.80% | ||
| EXPO - STN | 42% Loosely correlated | -1.86% | ||
| PRIM - STN | 35% Loosely correlated | +6.95% | ||
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