520,611 Shares in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 520,611 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $152,398,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.13% of Automatic Data Processing at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMG National Trust Bank raised its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 11,334 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,318,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Sentinus LLC raised its position in Automatic Data Processing by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Sentinus LLC now owns 1,548 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 3,686 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,079,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 1,842 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $539,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optas LLC increased its position in Automatic Data Processing by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.38, for a total transaction of $458,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,073 shares in the company, valued at $3,686,852.74. This represents a 11.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher D'ambrosio sold 478 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.14, for a total transaction of $140,120.92. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 7,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,158,682.96. This trade represents a 6.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,451 shares of company stock valued at $743,024 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Automatic Data Processing to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut Automatic Data Processing from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Securities upped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $298.00 to $321.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Automatic Data Processing presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $305.64.

Automatic Data Processing Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of ADP stock traded down $0.02 on Thursday, hitting $324.12. 921,682 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,701,072. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.76. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $302.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $301.50. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a one year low of $231.27 and a one year high of $327.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00.

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

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $6.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.05%.

Automatic Data Processing Company Profile

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.