Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Trims Stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 3.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 76,536 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,340 shares during the quarter. Automatic Data Processing accounts for 3.2% of Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $22,463,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 30,110.7% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,668,758 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,439,845,000 after acquiring an additional 4,653,304 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing in the 2nd quarter valued at $696,841,000. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 24.9% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,109,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $948,549,000 after purchasing an additional 619,829 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Automatic Data Processing by 26.6% in the 2nd 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. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 13.5% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,576,681 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,411,449,000 after purchasing an additional 544,968 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Automatic Data Processing

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.29, for a total transaction of $142,423.47. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 9,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,622,375.42. The trade was a 5.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP David Kwon sold 806 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.80, for a total transaction of $213,428.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 11,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,962,317.60. This trade represents a 6.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,249 shares of company stock worth $589,852. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP opened at $256.99 on Thursday. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 1 year low of $247.18 and a 1 year high of $329.93. The company has a market cap of $103.94 billion, a PE ratio of 25.37 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $258.10 and its 200 day moving average is $280.31.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.14 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 70.63% and a net margin of 19.79%.The business’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.33 EPS. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.811-11.011 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 14th that permits the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ADP. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research note on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $340.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target (down from $245.00) on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $288.00 to $272.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Automatic Data Processing in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $303.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $306.42.

About Automatic Data Processing

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.