Mizuho Lowers Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY) Price Target to $150.00

Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY) had its price target dropped by equities researchers at Mizuho from $180.00 to $150.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the software maker’s stock. Mizuho’s price target suggests a potential upside of 18.06% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Paylocity in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Citizens Jmp reduced their price objective on Paylocity from $270.00 to $245.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on Paylocity from $180.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded Paylocity from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, JMP Securities set a $245.00 price target on shares of Paylocity in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Paylocity has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $194.42.

Paylocity Trading Up 0.3%

PCTY opened at $127.05 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $145.86 and a 200-day moving average of $157.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.54. Paylocity has a 1-year low of $123.71 and a 1-year high of $223.80.

Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The software maker reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.23. Paylocity had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 22.07%. The firm had revenue of $408.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $399.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Paylocity will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Paylocity

In other news, CFO Ryan Glenn sold 1,737 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.65, for a total value of $249,520.05. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 77,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,093,945.85. This represents a 2.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 19.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Paylocity

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Paylocity by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 136,388 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $25,551,000 after acquiring an additional 7,594 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Paylocity by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,365 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its stake in Paylocity by 30.5% in the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 13,700 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $2,482,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Paylocity by 32.9% during the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,244 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Paylocity by 248.5% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 338 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. 94.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Paylocity News

Here are the key news stories impacting Paylocity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat — Paylocity delivered $1.85 EPS vs. ~$1.57 consensus and total revenue of $416.1M (up ~10.4% YoY), showing better-than-expected operating performance and margin strength. Paylocity Announces Second-Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Cash flow & buybacks — trailing 12?month operating cash flow and free cash flow margins remain strong (28.3% and 23.6%), and the company repurchased $100M in Q2 (about 690k shares), totaling ~$600M repurchased since May 2024 — supports shareholder returns. Paylocity Announces Second-Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Product/AI commentary — management emphasized accelerating revenue growth drivers and AI enhancements on the earnings call that could support longer-term product differentiation. Paylocity Holding Corp (PCTY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials available — full earnings slide deck and call transcript were posted for investor review (useful for deeper due diligence). Paylocity Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Soft guidance — Paylocity set FY2026 revenue guidance around $1.6B (below ~$1.7B consensus) and Q3 revenue guidance of $457.5M–$462.5M (vs. ~$483.8M consensus), triggering investor concern and short?term pressure on the shares. Paylocity shares fall as strong Q2 results overshadowed by guidance concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst stance & valuation notes — UBS issued a hold and some coverage questioned near-term upside; at least one valuation piece suggests the stock may be below an intrinsic estimate (mixed implications for timing). Paylocity Receives a Hold from UBS

About Paylocity

Paylocity (NASDAQ: PCTY) is a leading provider of cloud-based payroll and human capital management (HCM) software designed to streamline workforce administration for mid-sized organizations. The company’s integrated platform automates core functions such as payroll processing, benefits administration, time and labor tracking, and compliance management, enabling employers to manage employee data more efficiently and reduce administrative burdens.

In addition to payroll and HR capabilities, Paylocity offers talent management solutions including recruiting, onboarding, performance tracking, and learning management.