Here's a government contract that involves more than just paperwork. Amentum Holdings Inc. (AMTM) announced Tuesday that a joint venture it leads has been tapped for a $112 million (95.7 million euros) job. Their task? To help clean up the radioactive remnants of Europe's scientific past.
The contract, awarded by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), covers nuclear decommissioning and waste management at research facilities in Ispra, Italy; Karlsruhe, Germany; Geel, Belgium; and Petten, the Netherlands. We're talking about the whole suite of mid-20th century atomic research gear: research reactors, hot cells, accelerators, and laboratories where radioactive materials were once handled.
"Amentum's robust track record of delivering European-funded projects on time and on budget in multiple countries, including prior experience working at JRC Ispra, made us the ideal choice for this contract," said Loren Jones, senior vice president and head of Amentum's Energy & Environment-International business. The company will work with partners WSP Italia, TUV Rheinland, and Protection Solution SRL on everything from licensing and radiation protection to the actual nuclear engineering.
The initial contract runs for two years, but it's structured as a framework agreement with three optional two-year extensions. It's the kind of long-term, specialized government work that defines a lot of Amentum's business.
What the Charts Are Saying
So, the company just landed a nine-figure contract. What does the market think? Well, the stock's technical picture is telling a story of its own, and it's a bit of a mixed bag.
Right now, Amentum is trading 1.75% below its 20-day simple moving average but remains 6.87% above its 100-day average. That suggests some short-term softness against a backdrop of longer-term strength. The long-term trend is hard to argue with—shares are up 63.25% over the past year and are trading closer to their 52-week highs than lows.
The momentum indicators, however, are sending conflicting signals. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) sits at 43.70, which is squarely in neutral territory—the stock isn't overbought or oversold. Meanwhile, the MACD is at -0.7544, sitting below its signal line, which typically indicates some bearish pressure. Analysts often watch for key price levels, and for AMTM, $32.50 is seen as a resistance point, while $28.00 could act as support.
The Analyst and Earnings Outlook
Turning to the fundamentals, the company is expected to report its next earnings on May 5, 2026. The consensus estimate is for earnings per share of 56 cents, which would be an increase from the previous 53 cents. Revenue, however, is expected to dip slightly to $3.47 billion from $3.49 billion.
One number that jumps out is the valuation. With a P/E ratio of 75.8x, the market is pricing in significant future growth, placing Amentum at a premium compared to many peers.
The analyst community seems to be balancing that high valuation against the company's performance. The consensus rating on the stock is Neutral, with an average price target of $34.50. Recent moves include RBC Capital raising its target to $35.00 while maintaining a Sector Perform rating, BTIG maintaining a Buy rating and a $35.00 target, and UBS raising its target to $37.00 while keeping a Neutral rating.
ETF Exposure and Trading Action
For investors who prefer funds over individual stocks, it's worth noting where Amentum pops up. The company has meaningful weight in a few small-cap and small-cap value ETFs. You'll find it in the iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Value ETF (IJS) with a 0.70% weight, the State Street SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Value ETF (SLYV) with a 0.71% weight, and the Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF (RWJ) with a 1.00% weight. This means significant flows into or out of these ETFs can trigger automatic buying or selling of AMTM shares.
As for immediate reaction to the news, shares of Amentum were down 0.36% at $30.19 in premarket trading Tuesday.