Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP – Get Rating) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $243.09.
ADP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing to $251.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 1st. Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $230.00 to $236.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 20th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 17th.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Laura G. Brown sold 252 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.35, for a total transaction of $57,544.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,016 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,373,753.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP James T. Sperduto sold 207 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.34, for a total value of $50,164.38. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 8,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,371.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laura G. Brown sold 252 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.35, for a total transaction of $57,544.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,016 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,373,753.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Automatic Data Processing
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Cowa LLC acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Castle Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Timber Creek Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.24% of the company’s stock.
Automatic Data Processing Price Performance
Shares of ADP stock opened at $240.94 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $99.95 billion, a PE ratio of 33.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Automatic Data Processing has a twelve month low of $192.26 and a twelve month high of $274.92.
Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 26th. The business services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 80.50%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing will post 8.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Automatic Data Processing Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. This is a boost from Automatic Data Processing’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 8th. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio is 69.16%.
About Automatic Data Processing
Automatic Data Processing, Inc provides cloud-based human capital management solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Employer Services and Professional Employer Organization (PEO). The Employer Services segment offers strategic, cloud-based platforms, and human resources (HR) outsourcing solutions.
Further Reading
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