Aberdeen Group plc Sells 15,320 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 367,423 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 15,320 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.09% of Automatic Data Processing worth $94,512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. PGIM Custom Harvest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 4.9% in the second quarter. PGIM Custom Harvest LLC now owns 722 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 1.1% during the second quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,340 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 4.2% during the third quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC now owns 863 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in Automatic Data Processing by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 889 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $420,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Automatic Data Processing in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $306.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on 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, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $262.00 to $214.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $284.77.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP David Foskett sold 266 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.00, for a total value of $63,042.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 10,954 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,596,098. This represents a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.29, for a total value of $142,423.47. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 9,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,622,375.42. The trade was a 5.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 4,058 shares of company stock valued at $1,000,263 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ADP opened at $204.01 on Friday. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 52-week low of $197.08 and a 52-week high of $329.93. The business’s fifty day moving average is $218.31 and its 200 day moving average is $250.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $82.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62 and a beta of 0.85.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.35 EPS. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. Research analysts predict that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.38%.

Automatic Data Processing declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Automatic Data Processing 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.