Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP Shares Acquired by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 243,681 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,723 shares during the quarter. Automatic Data Processing comprises about 1.0% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $62,682,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,689,633 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,235,907,000 after acquiring an additional 389,451 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,782,407 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,820,445,000 after purchasing an additional 187,415 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,021,194 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,354,220,000 after purchasing an additional 116,074 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 47.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,830,294 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,004,691,000 after purchasing an additional 2,208,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,837,993 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,419,951,000 after purchasing an additional 261,312 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on ADP. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $262.00 to $214.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $306.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $303.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $284.77.

Automatic Data Processing Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of Automatic Data Processing stock opened at $205.47 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $222.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $252.45. The stock has a market cap of $82.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.76 and a beta of 0.86. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12-month low of $198.59 and a 12-month high of $329.93.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 19.96% and a return on equity of 68.44%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.35 EPS. Automatic Data Processing’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Automatic Data Processing’s payout ratio is 65.38%.

Automatic Data Processing announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 14th that allows the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Automatic Data Processing

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.18, for a total value of $234,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 15,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,585,295.80. The trade was a 6.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.45, for a total value of $113,188.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,857,706.40. The trade was a 5.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 4,058 shares of company stock valued at $1,000,263 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Company Profile

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.