Paychex, Inc. $PAYX Shares Acquired by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in Paychex, Inc. by 3.3% during the first quarter, now holding 62,482 shares valued at approximately $9.64 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have boosted their positions in Paychex, with Robeco Institutional Asset Management raising its holdings by 118.5% to own 136,876 shares.
• Paychex recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.08 per share, yielding 3.1%, with an annualized distribution of $4.32.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 62,482 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,017 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Paychex were worth $9,640,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Paychex by 20,236.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,153,089 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $177,899,000 after buying an additional 1,147,419 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Paychex in the first quarter worth $134,192,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Paychex by 7.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,782,173 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,663,474,000 after acquiring an additional 737,542 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Paychex by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,807,554 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $674,115,000 after purchasing an additional 694,651 shares during the period. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its stake in Paychex by 117.6% during the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 1,217,092 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $187,512,000 after acquiring an additional 657,871 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.47% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Paychex news, Chairman Martin Mucci sold 97,526 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.17, for a total value of $14,157,849.42. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 446,917 shares in the company, valued at $64,878,940.89. This trade represents a 17.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO John B. Gibson sold 12,370 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.92, for a total value of $1,755,550.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 81,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,602,669.60. This represents a 13.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Paychex Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of PAYX traded down $1.47 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $139.34. 355,315 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,143,311. Paychex, Inc. has a 52-week low of $128.92 and a 52-week high of $161.24. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $147.75. The firm has a market cap of $50.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.28.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The business services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. Paychex had a return on equity of 45.01% and a net margin of 29.75%.The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.12 earnings per share. Paychex has set its FY 2026 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Paychex Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be paid a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Paychex's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on PAYX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $165.00 target price on Paychex and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $140.00 target price on Paychex and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Paychex from $156.00 to $152.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Paychex from $158.00 to $148.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Paychex from $148.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $149.70.

Paychex Company Profile

Paychex, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated human capital management solutions (HCM) for payroll, benefits, human resources (HR), and insurance services for small to medium-sized businesses in the United States, Europe, and India. It offers payroll processing services; payroll tax administration services; employee payment services; and regulatory compliance services, such as new-hire reporting and garnishment processing.