Paychex (PAYX) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$138.41 -0.47 (-0.34%)

Closing price 08/21/2025 04:00 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$138.00 -0.41 (-0.30%)

As of 08/21/2025 07:27 PM Eastern

Paychex - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

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.

Consensus Rating

Reduce

Based on 11 Analyst Ratings

Sell
1

Hold
10

Buy
0

Based on 11 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Paychex in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce." Out of the 11 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, and 10 have given a hold rating for PAYX.

Consensus Price Target

$149.70
8.16% Upside

According to the 11 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Paychex, the average price target is $149.70. The highest price target for PAYX is $165.00, while the lowest price target for PAYX is $131.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 8.16% from the current price of $138.41.

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PAYX Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 8/22/24 to 8/22/25	1 Month Ago 7/23/24 to 7/23/25	3 Months Ago 5/24/24 to 5/24/25	1 Year Ago 8/23/23 to 8/22/24
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)
Hold	10 Hold rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)
Sell	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$149.70	$150.20	$141.00	$122.62
Forecasted Upside	8.16% Upside	3.42% Upside	-9.67% Downside	-4.12% Downside
Consensus Rating	Reduce	Reduce	Reduce	Reduce

PAYX 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.

PAYX 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.

Paychex Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Paychex	Computer and Technology Companies	S&P 500
Consensus Rating Score	1.91	2.66	2.53
Consensus Rating	Reduce	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	8.16% Upside	67.37% Upside	11.95% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent PAYX News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export to Excel

Date	Brokerage	Analyst Name	Action	Rating	Price Target	Upside/Downside on Report Date
8/21/2025	Citigroup 2 of 5 stars	Peter Christiansen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$158.00 ➝ $148.00	+6.79%
8/14/2025	JPMorgan Chase & Co. 2 of 5 stars	Tien-Tsin Huang Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Underweight ➝ Underweight	$148.00 ➝ $153.00	+10.52%
7/10/2025	BMO Capital Markets 4 of 5 stars	Daniel Jester Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Initiated Coverage	Market Perform	$160.00	+9.63%
6/27/2025	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	James Faucette Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$150.00 ➝ $148.00	+3.03%
6/26/2025	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	David Grossman Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$156.00 ➝ $152.00	+8.28%
6/26/2025	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Kevin Mcveigh Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$155.00 ➝ $145.00	+2.86%
6/26/2025	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Samad Samana Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$155.00 ➝ $140.00	+1.49%
6/24/2025	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Ramsey El-Assal Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$155.00	+2.91%
6/24/2025	Royal Bank Of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Ashish Sabadra Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Sector Perform ➝ Sector Perform	$165.00	+9.55%
3/27/2025	Cfra Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	S. Gheewala Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold
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10/2/2024	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$126.00 ➝ $131.00	-7.37%
6/27/2024	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Underperform ➝ Underperform	$111.00 ➝ $113.00	-3.74%
6/27/2024	Robert W. Baird Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$126.00 ➝ $124.00	+5.63%
4/3/2024	Wedbush Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$115.00	-5.80%
3/26/2024	Evercore ISI Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	In-Line ➝ In-Line	$118.00	-1.14%
10/3/2023	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target		$125.00 ➝ $130.00	+14.26%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Friday at 02:18 AM ET.

Should I Buy Paychex Stock? PAYX 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, August 20, 2025. Please send any questions or comments about these Paychex pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Paychex
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Paychex, Inc.:

The current stock price is around $144, which is relatively stable compared to its 52-week high of $161.24, indicating potential for growth.
Paychex, Inc. has a strong market capitalization of over $50 billion, suggesting a solid position in the market and stability for investors.
The company reported a net margin of nearly 30%, reflecting efficient operations and profitability, which can lead to higher returns for shareholders.
With a return on equity of over 45%, Paychex, Inc. demonstrates effective management in generating profits from shareholders' equity, making it an attractive investment.
The recent quarterly dividend of $1.08 per share, yielding about 3.1%, provides a steady income stream for investors, enhancing the overall return on investment.

Paychex
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in Paychex, Inc. for these reasons:

The payout ratio is currently high at 94.53%, which may indicate that the company is returning a significant portion of its earnings to shareholders, potentially limiting reinvestment in growth opportunities.
Insider selling activity has been noted, with significant shares sold by the chairman and CEO, which could signal a lack of confidence in the company's future performance.
The price-to-earnings ratio of 30.42 suggests that the stock may be overvalued compared to its earnings, which could deter value-focused investors.
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, indicating a reliance on debt financing, which can pose risks in economic downturns or rising interest rates.
With a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15, the stock may not be seen as a growth investment, as it suggests that the stock price is high relative to its expected earnings growth.

PAYX Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 11 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Paychex is $149.70, with a high forecast of $165.00 and a low forecast of $131.00.
: 11 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Paychex in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating and 10 hold ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "reduce" PAYX shares.
: According to analysts, Paychex's stock has a predicted upside of 8.16% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Paychex has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, Citigroup, Jefferies Financial Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank Of Canada, Stifel Nicolaus, and UBS Group in the past 90 days.
: Analysts like Paychex less than other "computer and technology" companies. The consensus rating for Paychex is Reduce while the average consensus rating for "computer and technology" companies is Moderate Buy. Learn more on how PAYX compares to other companies.

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This page (NASDAQ:PAYX) was last updated on 8/22/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Paychex (PAYX) Stock Forecast & Price Target