Diversified Trust Co. Sells 2,753 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Diversified Trust Co. cut its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,332 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,753 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co.’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $3,944,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 4,653,304 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the second quarter worth $696,841,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 47.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,830,294 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,004,691,000 after buying an additional 2,208,927 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 32.1% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,273,700 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $960,831,000 after buying an additional 796,379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 24.9% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 3,109,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $948,549,000 after buying an additional 619,829 shares in the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.45, for a total value of $113,188.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 8,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,857,706.40. The trade was a 5.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP David Foskett sold 266 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.00, for a total transaction of $63,042.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 10,954 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,596,098. This trade represents a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,058 shares of company stock valued at $1,000,263. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ADP. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $272.00 to $262.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down from $245.00) on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Citigroup cut their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $303.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $280.00 to $270.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Automatic Data Processing presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $288.46.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Performance

Shares of Automatic Data Processing stock opened at $204.89 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.26 and a twelve month high of $329.93. The stock has a market cap of $82.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s fifty day moving average is $227.18 and its 200 day moving average is $255.08.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period last year, the company earned $2.35 EPS. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 14th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Automatic Data Processing’s payout ratio is currently 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.