Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA Sells 3,759 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA cut its stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 304,220 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,759 shares during the period. Automatic Data Processing makes up 4.9% of Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $78,255,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mitchell Capital Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 325.0% in the third quarter. Mitchell Capital Management Co. now owns 6,800 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,996,000 after buying an additional 5,200 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 136.0% in the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 47,974 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,080,000 after buying an additional 27,644 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 2.6% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 183,561 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $53,875,000 after buying an additional 4,720 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 18.4% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 138,215 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,566,000 after buying an additional 21,444 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing in the third quarter worth $5,292,000. 80.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $262.00 to $214.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $311.00 to $274.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $306.00 to $244.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $273.85.

Automatic Data Processing Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP opened at $196.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.13 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90 and a beta of 0.85. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 1 year low of $188.16 and a 1 year high of $329.93. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $207.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.58. 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) 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. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.34 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 19.96% and a return on equity of 68.44%. Automatic Data Processing’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.35 earnings per share. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. Analysts expect that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 10.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.38%.

Automatic Data Processing declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 14th that permits the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP David Foskett sold 266 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.00, for a total value of $63,042.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 10,954 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,596,098. This represents a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.45, for a total transaction of $113,188.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 8,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,857,706.40. This represents a 5.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,809 shares of company stock worth $410,410. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

About Automatic Data Processing

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.