Paychex (PAYX) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$158.97 +2.88 (+1.85%)

Closing price 04:00 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$159.06 +0.09 (+0.06%)

As of 05:23 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 12 Analyst Ratings

Sell
2

Hold
10

Buy
0

Based on 12 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 12 analysts, 2 have given a sell rating, and 10 have given a hold rating for PAYX.

Consensus Price Target

$141.00
-11.30% Downside

According to the 12 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Paychex, the average price target is $141.00. The highest price target for PAYX is $158.00, while the lowest price target for PAYX is $113.00. The average price target represents a forecasted downside of -11.30% from the current price of $158.97.

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PAYX Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 5/27/24 to 5/27/25	1 Month Ago 4/27/24 to 4/27/25	3 Months Ago 2/27/24 to 2/26/25	1 Year Ago 5/28/23 to 5/27/24
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)	11 Hold rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)
Sell	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$141.00	$141.00	$132.23	$123.00
Forecasted Upside	-11.30% Downside	-1.54% Downside	-11.41% Downside	-0.99% 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	Business Services Companies	S&P 500
Consensus Rating Score	1.83	2.71	2.54
Consensus Rating	Reduce	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	-11.30% Downside	2,166.10% Upside	14.19% 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
5/23/2025	Jefferies Financial Group 2 of 5 stars		Reiterated Rating	Hold ➝ Hold
3/31/2025	Barclays 3 of 5 stars	Ramsey El-Assal Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$140.00 ➝ $155.00	+1.93%
3/27/2025	Cfra Research 0 of 5 stars	S. Gheewala Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold
3/27/2025	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	James Faucette Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$137.00 ➝ $142.00	-5.57%
3/27/2025	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Peter Christiansen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$145.00 ➝ $158.00	+4.70%
3/27/2025	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Bryan Bergin Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$141.00 ➝ $156.00	+3.87%
3/4/2025	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Kevin Mcveigh Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$152.00 ➝ $155.00	+0.17%
12/20/2024	Royal Bank of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Sector Perform ➝ Sector Perform	$148.00 ➝ $148.00	+7.68%
11/19/2024	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Underweight ➝ Underweight	$133.00 ➝ $139.00	-1.50%
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%
Get the Latest News and Ratings for PAYX and Related Stocks Enter your email address below to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Paychex and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
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%
6/30/2023	VNET Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Maintains
6/2/2023	3M Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Initiates

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 07:47 PM 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 Monday, May 26, 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 $156, reflecting a strong performance in the market.
Paychex, Inc. reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.49, exceeding analyst expectations, indicating robust financial health.
The company has a high net margin of over 32%, suggesting efficient management and profitability.
Paychex, Inc. has recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.08 per share, demonstrating a commitment to returning value to shareholders.
Institutional investors own a significant portion of the company, indicating confidence in its long-term prospects.

Paychex
Bear Case

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

The dividend payout ratio is currently at 90%, which may raise concerns about sustainability in the long term.
Recent insider selling, including a director selling shares, could signal potential concerns about the company's future performance.
Despite positive earnings, the stock has faced fluctuations, which may indicate volatility in the market.
Analysts have mixed ratings, with some suggesting a hold position, reflecting uncertainty about future growth.
Paychex, Inc. operates in a competitive market, which could impact its ability to maintain growth and profitability.

PAYX Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 12 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Paychex is $141.00, with a high forecast of $158.00 and a low forecast of $113.00.
: 12 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Paychex in the last year. There are currently 2 sell ratings 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 downside of -11.30% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Over the previous 90 days, Paychex's stock had 1 upgrade by analysts.
: Paychex has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, Cfra Research, Citigroup, Jefferies Financial Group, Morgan Stanley, Stifel Nicolaus, and UBS Group in the past 90 days.
: Analysts like Paychex less than other "business services" companies. The consensus rating for Paychex is Reduce while the average consensus rating for "business services" 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 5/27/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Paychex (PAYX) Stock Forecast & Price Target