Plato Investment Management Ltd Lowers Stock Holdings in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Plato Investment Management Ltd lessened its stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 14.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 24,817 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,157 shares during the period. Automatic Data Processing makes up 0.6% of Plato Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $7,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 2,600.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 81 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. von Borstel & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the first quarter worth $30,000. Main Street Group LTD grew its position in Automatic Data Processing by 50.7% in the 4th quarter. Main Street Group LTD now owns 113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in Automatic Data Processing in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. 80.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Down 0.4%

ADP stock opened at $297.24 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $303.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $304.99. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 52 week low of $270.71 and a 52 week high of $329.93. The company has a market cap of $120.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.82.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $5.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.05 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 19.84% and a return on equity of 72.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.811-11.011 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Automatic Data Processing’s payout ratio is currently 61.72%.

Insider Transactions at Automatic Data Processing

In other news, VP David Foskett sold 1,373 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.57, for a total transaction of $407,190.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 11,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,493,891.17. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Joseph Desilva sold 4,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.57, for a total transaction of $1,368,373.98. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 17,536 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,200,651.52. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 43,191 shares of company stock valued at $12,850,464 in the last three months. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $305.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. TD Securities increased their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $298.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $310.00 to $311.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $321.00 to $332.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $317.00.

About Automatic Data Processing

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.