Paychex, Inc. $PAYX Shares Acquired by Andra AP fonden

Andra AP fonden lifted its holdings in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 163,200 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 53,021 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Paychex were worth $20,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Paychex in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Paychex by 83.8% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 215 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Paychex in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its holdings in Paychex by 40.6% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 263 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Paychex during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 83.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Paychex Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of PAYX stock opened at $93.65 on Friday. Paychex, Inc. has a 12-month low of $86.89 and a 12-month high of $161.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $104.01 and a 200-day moving average of $117.05. The company has a market capitalization of $33.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.24 and a beta of 0.90.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last released its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. Paychex had a return on equity of 46.38% and a net margin of 26.45%.The company’s revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. Paychex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.480-5.530 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Paychex declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, January 16th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Paychex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were issued a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Paychex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PAYX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Paychex from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Paychex in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Paychex from $139.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Paychex from $133.00 to $123.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Argus dropped their target price on shares of Paychex from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Paychex presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $123.94.

About Paychex

Paychex, Inc, founded in 1971 by B. Thomas “Tom” Golisano and headquartered in Rochester, New York, is a provider of payroll, human resources, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses. The company’s core services include payroll processing and tax filing, employee benefits administration, retirement services, and workers’ compensation administration, designed to simplify back-office operations and help clients comply with regulatory and tax requirements.

Paychex offers an integrated technology platform, marketed under the Paychex Flex brand, which delivers cloud-based payroll, HR, time and attendance, and reporting tools.