Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Has $7.16 Million Stock Position in Paychex, Inc. $PAYX

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 56,488 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,104 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Paychex were worth $7,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Paychex during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Westfuller Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Paychex during the third quarter worth about $35,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Paychex by 94.0% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 293 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.47% of the company’s stock.

Paychex Stock Performance

NASDAQ PAYX opened at $104.94 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $37.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Paychex, Inc. has a 12-month low of $103.69 and a 12-month high of $161.24.

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

Paychex announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, January 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Paychex Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 28th. Paychex’s payout ratio is currently 97.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PAYX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Paychex from $139.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $110.00 target price on shares of Paychex in a research note on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Paychex from $140.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Paychex from $150.00 to $125.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $123.94.

Paychex Company Profile

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.