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Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Automatic Data Processing logo
$280.32 +4.42 (+1.60%)
Closing price 10/14/2026 04:00 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$281.78 +1.46 (+0.52%)
As of 04:04 AM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours 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
-2.43% Downside
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 downside of -2.43% from the current price of $280.32.
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
10/15/25 to 10/15/26
1 Month Ago
9/15/25 to 9/15/26
3 Months Ago
7/17/25 to 7/17/26
1 Year Ago
10/15/24 to 10/15/25
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$248.64$316.70
Forecasted Upside-2.43% Downside-1.10% Downside-2.59% Downside11.43% 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
2.31
2.53
Consensus RatingHoldHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside-2.43% Downside134.10% Upside19.52% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent ADP News
Positive News
Positive News
Report Date
0 Results
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/22/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
3 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 Thursday at 04:09 AM 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 Wednesday, October 14, 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 third-quarter results, beating analyst expectations with earnings per share of $2.64 compared to the consensus estimate of $2.59, while also exceeding revenue forecasts with $5.47 billion in sales, demonstrating the company's ability to outperform market expectations and drive shareholder value.
  • The company has established a robust dividend profile, recently paying a quarterly dividend of $1.70 per share which annualizes to $6.80, resulting in a yield of approximately 2.48% that provides a steady income stream for investors seeking reliable cash flow from their equity holdings.
  • Automatic Data Processing, Inc. is currently trading at $280.32, a price that reflects a significant recovery from its 52-week low of $188.16, indicating strong momentum and investor confidence in the company's operational performance and strategic direction over the past year.
  • With a beta of 0.83, the stock exhibits lower volatility than the broader market, making it a potentially stable addition to a diversified portfolio that can help mitigate overall investment risk during periods of market turbulence or economic uncertainty.
  • Institutional interest in the stock remains strong, with hedge funds and other institutional investors owning 80.03% of the company's shares, and recent filings show new stakes being acquired by firms like Western Financial Corp CA and ASK Capital Investment Managers LLC, signaling continued professional endorsement of the business model.

Automatic Data Processing
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • The stock carries a P/E ratio of 25.62, which is relatively high and suggests that investors are paying a premium for earnings, potentially leaving little room for error if future growth slows or if the company fails to meet the high expectations set by its recent performance.
  • Recent insider activity has been predominantly negative, with executives such as VP Joseph Desilva and VP David Kwon selling significant numbers of shares in late 2026, including a sale of 2,414 shares by Kwon in July, which may signal a lack of confidence in the stock's near-term upside potential from those closest to the company.
  • Analyst consensus remains cautious, with the stock holding an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $273.50, which is below the current trading price of $280.32, suggesting that many professionals believe the stock is fairly valued or slightly overvalued relative to its future earnings potential.
  • Short interest in the stock has increased recently, with shares shorted rising to 10,950,800 as of September 30, 2026, indicating that a portion of the market is betting against the stock's price appreciation, which could create downward pressure on the share price if this trend continues.
  • The company's dividend payout ratio stands at 62.16%, which is a significant portion of its earnings, potentially limiting the amount of capital available for reinvestment in growth initiatives, research and development, or share buybacks that could drive long-term value creation.

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 analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Automatic Data Processing in the last year. There is currently 1 sell rating, 8 hold ratings and 3 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street 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 downside of -2.43% 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, 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 2.31. 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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