Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 8,875 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 228,549 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,875 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Automatic Data Processing worth $67,079,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,300,182 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,736,976,000 after purchasing an additional 350,298 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,782,407 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,820,445,000 after purchasing an additional 187,415 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 3.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,388,935 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,511,698,000 after buying an additional 345,798 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 30,110.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,668,758 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,439,845,000 after acquiring an additional 4,653,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,576,681 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,411,449,000 after buying an additional 544,968 shares during the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of ADP opened at $246.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $99.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.03. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.68 and a 52 week high of $329.93. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $258.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $277.93.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.57 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 68.44% and a net margin of 19.96%.The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.35 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 14th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to purchase up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, VP David Kwon sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $234,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,118,180. This trade represents a 6.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.29, for a total transaction of $142,423.47. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 9,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,622,375.42. This trade represents a 5.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 2,249 shares of company stock worth $589,852 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Automatic Data Processing this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 / Q2 results and guidance — ADP beat revenue and EPS estimates, showed broad-based growth and margin stability, and set FY26 EPS guidance above street projections; management reiterated an upbeat outlook and a buyback. These execution and capital-allocation signals support the stock’s upward reaction. ADP Q4 Deep Dive
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call takeaways — summaries and highlights (management tone, buyback, and stronger Employer Services performance) reinforced the beat-and-raise narrative that underpins near-term fundamentals. ADP Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: New coverage and analyst reports — Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage and independent analyst notes (Argus) provide fresh research flow that can increase trading interest but are mixed in directional impact. Coverage Initiated at Cantor Fitzgerald Analyst Report: Automatic Data Processing Inc.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price‑target cuts and downgrades — Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Stifel trimmed targets and moved to neutral/underweight/hold stances, signaling reduced analyst conviction and pressuring investor sentiment despite upside still implied by some revised targets. Benzinga coverage of analyst actions
• Negative Sentiment: 52‑week low headline — reports that ADP hit a 52‑week low attract attention and can trigger short-term selling or defensive positioning by momentum and quant funds. Adp stock hits 52-week low

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $306.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down previously from $245.00) on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $295.38.

Automatic Data Processing Profile

Automatic Data Processing, Inc (ADP) is a global provider of cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and payroll solutions. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey, ADP began as a payroll processing company and has evolved into a diversified provider of workforce management, HR, benefits administration, tax and compliance services, and analytics for employers of all sizes.

ADP’s product portfolio includes payroll processing and tax filing, time and attendance systems, benefits administration, talent management, and HR outsourcing.