Citizens has reaffirmed its Market Outperform recommendation on Amentum Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AMTM), keeping a $40.00 price target on the defense and government services contractor. At the time of the note, Amentum was trading around $32.14 and carried a market capitalization of $7.82 billion.
The research firm underscored several drivers behind its constructive stance. Citizens described Amentum as being one year into a "transformative merger" that created a larger services provider with a breadth of capabilities. The firm said that the deal has been reflected in notably strong top-line growth, citing a 44.73% increase in revenue over the past twelve months.
Valuation considerations also factored into Citizens' assessment. The analyst highlighted what it called an attractive valuation relative to the company's growth and the opportunity to win work tied to both established and emerging national security and defense priorities. Citizens further emphasized that Amentum's government exposure extends beyond the Department of Defense, which broadens the potential market for the company's services.
In addition to defense-related demand, Citizens pointed to opportunities tied to a so-called "nuclear renaissance." The firm linked this trend to several contemporaneous forces it expects will accelerate interest in nuclear-related projects - including investments in artificial intelligence data center capacity, rising electricity demand, and regulatory developments that could be supportive of new nuclear initiatives.
On the corporate results front, Amentum reported first-quarter 2026 results that outpaced consensus. The company posted earnings per share of $0.54, well above analysts' expectations of $0.25, and reported revenue of $3.24 billion. These figures were presented as evidence of the company's recent operational momentum.
Separately, Amentum held its annual meeting of stockholders, where all nominees for the board of directors were elected to serve until the next annual meeting. The roster of elected directors includes Steven J. Demetriou and John Heller, among others. Shareholder votes in favor of each nominee ranged from about 199.3 million to roughly 220.5 million.
Despite the favorable quarterly print and the governance outcomes, the stock moved lower in premarket trading. Citizens and market observers noted that this reaction may reflect investor concerns about future guidance or broader market conditions rather than the headline results alone.
The combination of a recent strategic merger, above-trend revenue gains, a beat on first-quarter results, and explicit exposure to federal national security priorities form the backbone of Citizens' continuing Market Outperform rating and its retained $40.00 price target.