Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $196.53 and last traded at $195.3760, with a volume of 84873 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $200.78.
More Automatic Data Processing News
Here are the key news stories impacting Automatic Data Processing this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Board declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1.70 per share, payable July 1 to holders of record June 12; yield ~3.4% — supports income investors and signals cash-flow confidence. ADP Declares Regular Quarterly Dividend
- Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting upgraded guidance and the dividend increase frames a potential catalyst for a recovery if management sustains guidance and execution. Upgraded Guidance And Dividend Hike Could Be A Game Changer For Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
- Neutral Sentiment: Preview commentary ahead of the next quarter’s results points to single-digit earnings growth expectations — not a high-growth setup but steady top-line visibility. Automatic Data Processing Earnings Preview
- Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains around a “Hold/Average” stance in recent summaries — mixed analyst views leave the stock vulnerable to sentiment shifts. Automatic Data Processing Receives Average Rating of “Hold”
- Negative Sentiment: Social/market discussion highlights an 18.5% post-earnings plunge (Q4 beat but behind peers), concerns about data/privacy risks and macro headwinds, plus insider selling activity — these factors have pressured sentiment and likely explain today’s weaker price action. ADP Opinions on Q4 Earnings and March Employment Data
- Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst underweights and a wide spread of price targets (median ~ $270 vs. current levels well below that) create downside risk if execution or employment trends disappoint. Analyst Ratings and Targets
- Neutral Sentiment: For a quick reference hub on price, news and historical quotes, see the Yahoo Finance ADP page. Yahoo Finance – ADP
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms recently weighed in on ADP. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $280.00 to $270.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 9th. Guggenheim began coverage on Automatic Data Processing in a report on Thursday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $245.00) on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $262.00 to $214.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $284.77.
Automatic Data Processing Price Performance
The company has a 50 day moving average price of $215.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $248.42. The company has a market capitalization of $79.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.
Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.34 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 68.44% and a net margin of 19.96%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.35 EPS. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current year.
Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.38%.
Automatic Data Processing announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 14th that permits the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Insider Transactions at Automatic Data Processing
In other news, VP David Foskett sold 266 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.00, for a total value of $63,042.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,954 shares in the company, valued at $2,596,098. This trade represents a 2.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP David Kwon sold 806 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.80, for a total value of $213,428.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 11,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,962,317.60. This represents a 6.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,158 shares of company stock valued at $766,263 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,340 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC now owns 863 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 889 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 3,746 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Automatic Data Processing Company 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.
Further Reading
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