Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $248.23.

ADP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $240.00 to $260.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $235.00 to $270.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 25th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Friday, June 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $230.00 price target on the stock.

Automatic Data Processing Trading Down 0.1 %

Automatic Data Processing stock opened at $254.61 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $239.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.88. Automatic Data Processing has a 52 week low of $201.46 and a 52 week high of $274.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.82.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The business services provider reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.06. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 18.94% and a return on equity of 107.15%. The firm had revenue of $4.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 7th. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Michael A. Bonarti sold 7,049 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.75, for a total value of $1,795,732.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 67,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,079,459. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Automatic Data Processing

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ADP. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 110.7% during the first quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 118 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 79.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Automatic Data Processing Company Profile

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.