Banco Santander S.A. Sells 4,785 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Banco Santander S.A. lowered its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 25.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,732 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,785 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $4,030,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ADP. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 30,110.7% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,668,758 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,439,845,000 after buying an additional 4,653,304 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the second quarter worth about $696,841,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 32.1% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,273,700 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $960,831,000 after acquiring an additional 796,379 shares during the period. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 24.9% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 3,109,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $948,549,000 after acquiring an additional 619,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 26.6% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,812,637 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $867,445,000 after purchasing an additional 591,800 shares during the period. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.18, for a total transaction of $234,180.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 15,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,585,295.80. This represents a 6.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP David Kwon sold 806 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.80, for a total transaction of $213,428.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 11,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,962,317.60. This represents a 6.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,515 shares of company stock worth $887,074. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ADP. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $311.00 to $274.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $272.00 to $262.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $280.00 to $270.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $290.00.

Automatic Data Processing Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP opened at $214.36 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $242.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.32. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a one year low of $203.26 and a one year high of $329.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.31 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61 and a beta of 0.85.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share 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%.Automatic Data Processing’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.35 EPS. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing announced that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Automatic Data Processing’s payout ratio is 65.38%.

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.