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Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Automatic Data Processing logo
$257.68 -6.28 (-2.38%)
Closing price 10/2/2026 04:00 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$257.57 -0.11 (-0.04%)
As of 10/2/2026 07:55 PM 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
6.14% 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 6.14% from the current price of $257.68.
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
10/3/25 to 10/3/26
1 Month Ago
9/3/25 to 9/3/26
3 Months Ago
7/5/25 to 7/5/26
1 Year Ago
10/3/24 to 10/3/25
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 Upside6.14% Upside-3.54% Downside0.83% Upside8.72% 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 Upside6.14% Upside107.87% Upside21.54% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Neutral News

See Recent ADP News
Positive News
Neutral News
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 Saturday at 03:07 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 Friday, October 2, 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 ended July 29, 2026, beating analyst expectations with earnings per share of $2.64 compared to a consensus estimate of $2.59, while also exceeding revenue forecasts with $5.47 billion in sales against an expected $5.44 billion, demonstrating robust demand for its human capital management solutions.
  • The company offers a compelling income opportunity with a dividend yield of 2.63% based on the current stock price of $257.68, supported by a consistent payout ratio of 62.16% and a recent quarterly dividend of $1.70 per share, making it an attractive option for income-focused investors seeking stability in the technology sector.
  • Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from twelve analysts, with a consensus price target of $273.50, which suggests potential upside of approximately 6.1% from the current trading level, indicating that the market views the stock as fairly valued with room for growth.
  • The company's recent release of the ADP National Employment Report showed private-sector employment increased by 90,000 jobs in September 2026, significantly exceeding the 68,000 jobs expected by economists, which highlights the company's strong position in the labor market and its ability to provide valuable economic data that supports its core business operations.
  • Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has demonstrated consistent year-over-year revenue growth, with the most recent quarter showing a 6.8% increase, and the company has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.120-12.340 EPS, indicating a trajectory of continued expansion and profitability in its cloud-based human capital management segment.

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 is currently trading at $257.68, which is below its 50-day moving average of $271.03, suggesting short-term downward momentum and potential weakness in investor sentiment, as the price has declined from the previous close of $263.96 to reflect recent market pressures.
  • Insider activity has been predominantly negative, with CEO Maria Black selling 29,810 shares at an average price of $280.91 in September 2026, and other executives such as VP David Kwon and VP Brian Michaud also selling shares in recent months, which may signal a lack of confidence from company leadership in the current stock valuation.
  • Short interest in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has been increasing, with the number of shares shorted rising to 10,508,337 as of September 15, 2026, from 7,880,000 in October 2025, indicating that a growing number of investors are betting against the stock's future performance, which could lead to further price declines if the trend continues.
  • The company's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82 and current ratio of 1.05 suggest that while it is managing its liabilities, it has limited liquidity buffers, which could be a concern for investors if economic conditions deteriorate or if the company faces unexpected expenses, potentially impacting its ability to maintain its dividend and growth initiatives.
  • Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a beta of 0.83, which is lower than the market average, indicating that it may underperform in a strong bull market, and its recent price action, including a drop to a 52-week low of $188.16 in early 2026, suggests that it may be more sensitive to market downturns and less capable of delivering outsized returns during periods of economic expansion.

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 year. 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 6.14% 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 2.31. 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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