Westerkirk Capital Inc. Has $4.48 Million Position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Key Points

• Westerkirk Capital increased its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 35.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 4,539 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 17,401 shares worth about $4.48 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted their ADP positions, and hedge funds and institutions now own 80.03% of the company’s stock.
• Wall Street sentiment remains cautious: analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on ADP with an average price target of $244.29, even after the company beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and raised FY2026 guidance.

Westerkirk Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) by 35.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,401 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,539 shares during the period. Westerkirk Capital Inc.'s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $4,476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ADP. Northcape Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Automatic Data Processing by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,577 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,692,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Private Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Automatic Data Processing by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC now owns 867 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Automatic Data Processing by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,179 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,455,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its position in Automatic Data Processing by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 4,027 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,036,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Zullo Investment Group Inc. lifted its position in Automatic Data Processing by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,885 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on ADP. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $306.00 to $244.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $270.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Argus cut their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $300.00 to $240.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $311.00 to $274.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $244.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Automatic Data Processing

In other news, VP Christopher D'ambrosio sold 543 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.45, for a total value of $113,188.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 8,912 shares in the company, valued at $1,857,706.40. This represents a 5.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP opened at $229.07 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $91.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.37 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $210.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $188.16 and a fifty-two week high of $325.84.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.30 by $0.07. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 68.82% and a net margin of 20.12%.The business had revenue of $5.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.06 EPS. Automatic Data Processing's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.010-11.110 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio is 63.43%.

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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