Paychex, Inc. $PAYX Shares Acquired by Ossiam

Ossiam grew its stake in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 398.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 70,523 shares during the period. Ossiam’s holdings in Paychex were worth $11,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Paychex by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,710 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $801,000 after buying an additional 1,190 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Paychex by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Paychex in the 1st quarter valued at $3,333,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Paychex by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 11,760 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,711,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its stake in Paychex by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 476,082 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $69,251,000 after acquiring an additional 3,674 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus dropped their target price on Paychex from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Paychex in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $110.00 price target on shares of Paychex in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Paychex from $128.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Paychex to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $122.81.

Paychex Stock Performance

Shares of PAYX stock opened at $92.61 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $33.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.00 and a beta of 0.91. Paychex, Inc. has a 1 year low of $86.89 and a 1 year high of $161.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $100.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last issued 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 company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. Paychex had a return on equity of 46.38% and a net margin of 26.45%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share. Paychex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.480-5.530 EPS. Analysts predict that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Paychex declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, January 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Paychex Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were paid a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. Paychex’s payout ratio is currently 97.96%.

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.