Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $303.55.

ADP has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Automatic Data Processing from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Automatic Data Processing to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research note on Thursday, May 1st.

Automatic Data Processing Price Performance

Shares of Automatic Data Processing stock opened at $319.37 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $298.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $300.06. Automatic Data Processing has a 12-month low of $231.27 and a 12-month high of $322.84. The firm has a market cap of $129.64 billion, a PE ratio of 33.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $5.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.49 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 80.86% and a net margin of 19.76%. Automatic Data Processing's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Automatic Data Processing will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $1.54 dividend. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.05%.

Insider Activity at Automatic Data Processing

In other news, VP Christopher D'ambrosio sold 473 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.20, for a total value of $144,832.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,244 shares in the company, valued at $2,218,112.80. The trade was a 6.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.38, for a total value of $458,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,686,852.74. The trade was a 11.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,451 shares of company stock valued at $743,024. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Automatic Data Processing

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ADP. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 11,334 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,318,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Sentinus LLC boosted its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Sentinus LLC now owns 1,548 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 779 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,371 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,030,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 883 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.03% of the company's stock.

About Automatic Data Processing

Automatic Data Processing, Inc provides cloud-based human capital management solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Employer Services and Professional Employer Organization (PEO). The Employer Services segment offers strategic, cloud-based platforms, and human resources (HR) outsourcing solutions.

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