Which Is a Better Investment, EPAM Systems Inc or Leidos Holdings Inc Stock?

By AAII Staff
September 09, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Professional Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc.

Leidos Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides services and solutions for government and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. The National Security & Digital segment provides national security software; services by using artificial intelligence and machine learning to coordinate sea, ground, air, and space to help warfighters; offensive, defensive, and physical cyber operation solutions; intelligence analysis, operational support, logistics operations, security, linguistics, force production, biometrics, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives, energetics, training, and other services; and Digital Modernization and transformation services. The Health & Civil segment offers air traffic control systems; health mission software; managed health services; infrastructure management and operation; logistical operations and information technology support; and life science research and development support services. The Commercial & International segment provides power grid engineering and design, grid modernization, utility planning and consulting, energy management and efficiency, technology-driven innovation, and software and application development; people scanners, computed tomography carry-on baggage scanners, checked baggage scanners, and explosive trace detectors; mobile, non-intrusive ports and borders inspection systems; and open-architecture platform that transforms airport security by integrating disparate devices and technologies into a unified management system. The Defense Systems segment offers air and missile defense, maritime, aerospace, and cyber and threat systems; offers airborne training, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions; and provides space-based electro-optic infrared systems, multi/hyperspectral, electronic warfare and signals intelligence, and communications payloads. Leidos Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

EPAM Systems, Inc. provides digital platform engineering and software development services worldwide. The company offers engineering services, including requirements analysis and platform selection, customization, cross-platform migration, implementation, and integration; cloud services for creating a roadmap to set and refine IT and business goals while identifying new and emerging opportunities leveraging cloud technologies; data, analytics, and artificial intelligence; customer experience; marketing; and cybersecurity. It also offers operation solutions comprising integrated engineering practices and smart automation services. In addition, the company offers software product and platform development services, which comprise product research, customer experience design and prototyping, program management, component design and integration, full lifecycle software testing, product deployment and end-user customization, performance tuning, product support and maintenance, managed services, as well as cross-platform migration and modernizing legacy platforms. The company has a collaboration with Wiz to help organizations turn cloud risk intelligence into continuous, AI-powered, and engineering-led remediation across complex multi-cloud environments. The company serves the financial services; consumer goods, retail, and travel; software and hi-tech; business information and media; life sciences and healthcare; and emerging vertical industries. EPAM Systems, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Latest Professional Services and Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems, Inc. Stock News

As of September 9, 2026, Leidos Holdings, Inc. had a $16.1 billion market capitalization, compared to the Professional Services median of $1.1 million. Leidos Holdings, Inc.’s stock is down 29% in 2026, down 7.9% in the previous five trading days and down 28.18% in the past year.

Currently, Leidos Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 12.0. Leidos Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $17.6 billion with a 7.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $12.399 per share for the current fiscal year. Leidos Holdings, Inc. currently has a 1.3% dividend yield.

As of September 9, 2026, EPAM Systems, Inc. had a $5.9 billion market cap, putting it in the 70th percentile of all stocks. EPAM Systems, Inc.’s stock is down 44% in 2026, down 1.4% in the previous five trading days and down 30.27% in the past year.

Currently, EPAM Systems, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 15.5. EPAM Systems, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $5.6 billion with a 7.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 4.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $13.151 per share for the current fiscal year. EPAM Systems, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Leidos Holdings, Inc. LDOS B
EPAM Systems, Inc. EPAM A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a Quality Score of 80, which is Strong. EPAM Systems, Inc. has a Quality Score of 95, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: EPAM Systems, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, EPAM Systems, Inc. has a better overall quality grade than Leidos Holdings, Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, EPAM Systems, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Leidos Holdings, Inc. LDOS D
EPAM Systems, Inc. EPAM C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 28, which is Weak. EPAM Systems, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 44, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Leidos Holdings, Inc. LDOS B
EPAM Systems, Inc. EPAM B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 63, which is Positive. EPAM Systems, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 66, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, both Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc. have a grade of B. For those focusing solely on a company’s estimate revisions, other financial metrics will need to be evaluated to determine whether Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems or Inc. is a better fit.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc. Grades

In addition to Momentum, Quality and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.

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Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Leidos Holdings, Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 28, Estimate Revisions Score of 63 and Quality Score of 80.

EPAM Systems, Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 44, Estimate Revisions Score of 66 and Quality Score of 95.

Comparing Leidos Holdings, Inc., EPAM Systems and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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