Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Purchases 125,486 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 27.1% in Q4, buying 125,486 shares to hold 588,816 shares (about 0.15% ownership) valued at roughly $151.47 million.
• ADP reported Q4 EPS of $2.62, beating estimates, set FY2026 guidance of 10.091–11.011 EPS (consensus ~10.96), and saw quarterly revenue rise about 6.2% year-over-year.
• The company authorized a $6.0 billion share buyback and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.70 per share (annualized yield ~3.4%).

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) by 27.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 588,816 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 125,486 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.15% of Automatic Data Processing worth $151,468,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its position in Automatic Data Processing by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 323 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners raised its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 335 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,577 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,692,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC now owns 867 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,179 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,455,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Automatic Data Processing Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP opened at $197.23 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $207.07 and its 200 day moving average is $239.60. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 1 year low of $188.16 and a 1 year high of $329.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 68.44% and a net margin of 19.96%.The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.35 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue 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, research analysts predict that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 10.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.38%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ADP has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $262.00 to $214.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $306.00 to $244.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $311.00 to $274.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $273.85.

Insider Activity at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, VP David Foskett sold 266 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.00, for a total transaction of $63,042.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,954 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,596,098. This represents a 2.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.18, for a total value of $234,180.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 15,310 shares in the company, valued at $3,585,295.80. This represents a 6.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 1,809 shares of company stock valued at $410,410 in the last ninety days. Corporate 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.

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