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Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Automatic Data Processing logo
$259.71 -2.09 (-0.80%)
As of 12:20 PM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Automatic Data Processing - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
8
Buy
3

Based on 12 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Automatic Data Processing in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 12 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 8 have given a hold rating, and 3 have given a buy rating for ADP.

Consensus Price Target

$273.50
5.31% Upside
According to the 12 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Automatic Data Processing, the average price target is $273.50. The highest price target for ADP is $310.00, while the lowest price target for ADP is $190.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 5.31% from the current price of $259.71.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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ADP Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/29/25 to 9/29/26
1 Month Ago
8/30/25 to 8/30/26
3 Months Ago
7/1/25 to 7/1/26
1 Year Ago
9/29/24 to 9/29/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
3 Buy rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
Hold
8 Hold rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$273.50$273.50$244.29$316.70
Forecasted Upside5.31% Upside-4.86% Downside3.63% Upside8.21% Upside
Consensus RatingHoldHoldHoldHold

ADP Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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ADP Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
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Automatic Data Processing Stock vs. The Competition

TypeAutomatic Data ProcessingIndustrials CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.17
2.30
2.53
Consensus RatingHoldHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside5.15% Upside106.57% Upside19.95% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent ADP News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/22/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 UpgradeHold (C) ➝ Hold (C+)
8/3/2026
Cantor Fitzgerald logo
Cantor Fitzgerald
5 of 5 stars
Boost TargetOverweight$295.00 ➝ $310.00+16.34%
7/30/2026
Citigroup Inc. logo
Citigroup
4 of 5 stars
Bryan Keane
Not Rated
Boost TargetNeutral$230.00 ➝ $287.00+8.92%
7/30/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$240.00 ➝ $286.00+9.51%
7/30/2026Boost TargetHold$260.00 ➝ $285.00+9.23%
7/30/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$248.00 ➝ $283.00+9.80%
7/30/2026Boost TargetBuy$270.00 ➝ $300.00+13.55%
7/29/2026 Boost TargetMarket Perform$248.00 ➝ $305.00+11.63%
7/22/2026Boost TargetNeutral$260.00 ➝ $270.00+11.16%
7/6/2026Boost TargetHold$216.00 ➝ $223.00-6.33%
5/5/2026Lower TargetBuy$300.00 ➝ $240.00+15.27%
4/30/2026 Lower Target$332.00 ➝ $305.00+43.43%
4/30/2026 Lower Target$230.00 ➝ $190.00-10.65%
4/30/2026 Lower Target$300.00 ➝ $270.00+26.97%
1/29/2026Lower TargetUnderweight$295.00 ➝ $275.00+11.39%
8/21/2025 UpgradeHold
6/5/2025Reiterated RatingSector Perform$315.00-3.31%
5/21/2025Boost TargetHold$298.00 ➝ $321.00-0.56%
2/3/2025Boost TargetOverweight$325.00 ➝ $350.00+15.51%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 12:21 PM ET.


Should I Buy Automatic Data Processing Stock? ADP Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Monday, September 28, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Automatic Data Processing pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Automatic Data Processing
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Automatic Data Processing, Inc.:

  • Automatic Data Processing, Inc. recently reported strong financial performance for the quarter ending July 29, 2026, with earnings per share of $2.64, which exceeded the analyst consensus estimate of $2.59, and revenue of $5.47 billion, surpassing the expected $5.44 billion, demonstrating the company's ability to outperform market expectations and drive shareholder value.
  • The company has a robust dividend profile, recently announcing a quarterly dividend of $1.70 per share to be paid on October 1, 2026, which translates to an annualized yield of approximately 2.6% based on the current stock price of $261.80, providing a steady income stream for investors seeking yield alongside growth.
  • Automatic Data Processing, Inc. is expanding the adoption of its AI tools, specifically Assist and the Zone, which are boosting service efficiency and supporting bookings growth, indicating that the company is successfully integrating modern technology to enhance its core human capital management services and maintain a competitive edge.
  • Institutional investors are showing renewed confidence in the stock, with Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increasing its position by 63.8% in the second quarter and QRG Capital Management Inc. lifting its holdings by 11.7%, suggesting that professional money managers are recognizing the company's long-term potential and adding to their portfolios.
  • The stock is currently trading at $261.80, which is below the consensus price target of $273.50, implying potential upside for investors, while the company maintains a low beta of 0.82, indicating that it may offer more stable returns compared to the broader market during periods of volatility.

Automatic Data Processing
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. for these reasons:

  • Company insiders have been actively selling shares, with CEO Maria Black selling 29,810 shares on September 2, 2026, and VP Joseph Desilva selling 631 shares on September 3, 2026, which may signal a lack of confidence in the stock's near-term performance or a desire to diversify personal holdings at current price levels.
  • The stock has experienced a decline in short interest, dropping from 14,436,618 shares in July 2026 to 10,508,337 shares in September 2026, which could indicate that short sellers are covering their positions, potentially reducing the downward pressure on the stock price and limiting opportunities for short-term gains from a bearish perspective.
  • Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a high debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, which, while not excessive, indicates a significant level of leverage that could impact the company's financial flexibility and increase its risk profile, especially in a rising interest rate environment where borrowing costs are higher.
  • The company's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%, which is relatively high and may limit the amount of cash available for reinvestment in growth initiatives or share buybacks, potentially constraining future earnings growth and capital allocation flexibility.
  • Despite recent earnings beats, the stock is trading below its 50-day moving average of $270.58, suggesting that short-term momentum is negative and that the stock may be underperforming relative to its recent trend, which could deter momentum-based investors and indicate potential further downside.

ADP Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 12 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Automatic Data Processing is $273.50, with a high forecast of $310.00 and a low forecast of $190.00.

12 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Automatic Data Processing in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 8 hold ratings and 3 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "hold" ADP shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in ADP, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

According to analysts, Automatic Data Processing's stock has a predicted upside of 5.31% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Automatic Data Processing's stock had 2 upgrades by analysts.

Automatic Data Processing has been rated by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets, Cantor Fitzgerald, Citigroup, Guggenheim, Morgan Stanley, Stifel Nicolaus, TD Cowen, UBS Group, Weiss Ratings, and Wells Fargo & Company in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Automatic Data Processing less than other "industrials" companies. The consensus rating score for Automatic Data Processing is 2.17 while the average consensus rating score for "industrials" companies is 2.30. Learn more on how ADP compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Automatic Data Processing analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/22/2026.
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