313,238 Shares in Paylocity Holding Corporation $PCTY Purchased by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon purchased 313,238 Paylocity shares valued at approximately $32.7 million, giving it a 0.59% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 94.76% of the company.
• Paylocity reported quarterly EPS of $1.84, beating estimates of $1.62, while revenue rose 11% year over year to $444.73 million. The stock was trading at $157.93, with a market capitalization of about $8.38 billion.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $160.53, though ratings remain mixed and valuation concerns persist as the stock trades near its 52-week high at roughly 32 times earnings.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Paylocity Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:PCTY - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 313,238 shares of the software maker's stock, valued at approximately $32,743,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.59% of Paylocity at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in Paylocity by 18.9% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 49,614 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $5,360,000 after acquiring an additional 7,891 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Paylocity by 38.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 415,879 shares of the software maker's stock worth $63,422,000 after acquiring an additional 115,111 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Paylocity by 36.3% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 46,064 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $7,025,000 after buying an additional 12,261 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Paylocity by 40.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 134,181 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $14,496,000 after acquiring an additional 38,697 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Paylocity by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 523,342 shares of the software maker's stock worth $79,810,000 after buying an additional 77,127 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.76% of the company's stock.

Paylocity Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of PCTY stock opened at $157.93 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $131.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $116.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.91 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Paylocity Holding Corporation has a 1-year low of $92.99 and a 1-year high of $180.86.

Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.22. Paylocity had a net margin of 15.23% and a return on equity of 27.02%. The firm had revenue of $444.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $431.46 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.56 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Paylocity Holding Corporation will post 6.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PCTY has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Paylocity from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Paylocity from $122.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial set a $140.00 price target on Paylocity in a report on Friday, May 8th. Stephens lowered their price target on Paylocity from $160.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Paylocity from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.53.

Paylocity News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Paylocity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher long-term earnings forecasts: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $6.33 from $5.98 and its FY2028 forecast to $7.18 from $6.67. It also initiated a FY2029 estimate of $8.28 and increased several quarterly forecasts, signaling improved expectations for Paylocity’s earnings trajectory. Zacks nevertheless maintained a “Hold” rating. Zacks Research comments on Paylocity FY2029 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI recruiting traction: Paylocity’s partner HireQuotient highlighted results at Alliance Building Services, where its AI-native recruiting platform reportedly reduced manual recruiting work by 70% and cut time-to-hire by more than half. The customer example supports demand for Paylocity’s integrated human-capital-management ecosystem. Paylocity partners for AI-powered recruiting
• Positive Sentiment: Sector momentum: Paylocity traded higher alongside MongoDB, Datadog, Five9 and Monday.com, suggesting investor appetite for software and technology shares also contributed to the stock’s recent strength. Software stocks trade higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed estimate revisions: Zacks slightly reduced its Q2 2028 EPS forecast to $1.57 from $1.58 and Q4 2027 to $1.39 from $1.43, partly offsetting the broader upward revisions. The current-year consensus remains approximately $6.86 per share.
• Neutral Sentiment: Limited insider sale: Director Steven Sarowitz sold 441 shares for approximately $68,355 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced his holdings by only 0.01%, leaving him with nearly 4.47 million shares, making it unlikely to materially alter investor sentiment. Paylocity director stock sale
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk remains: With PCTY trading near its 52-week high and at roughly 32 times earnings, the stock may be vulnerable if future growth slows or estimates are revised lower. Zacks’ continued “Hold” rating reinforces that the improved outlook is not yet a broad-based bullish endorsement.

Insider Transactions at Paylocity

In other Paylocity news, CFO Ryan Glenn sold 3,345 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.75, for a total transaction of $500,913.75. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 122,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,353,809.25. The trade was a 2.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Steven I. Sarowitz sold 11,136 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.81, for a total value of $1,679,420.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,535,052 shares in the company, valued at $683,931,192.12. This trade represents a 0.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,741 shares of company stock valued at $4,621,962. Company insiders own 19.40% of the company's stock.

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.

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