Paychex (PAYX) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Q: What analysts cover Paychex?

Paychex has been rated by research analysts at Citigroup , JPMorgan Chase & Co. , Morgan Stanley , Royal Bank Of Canada , Stifel Nicolaus , TD Cowen , UBS Group , and Weiss Ratings in the past 90 days.

$109.52 -1.23 (-1.11%)

Closing price 04:00 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$109.31 -0.21 (-0.19%)

As of 07:55 PM Eastern

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Paychex - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Hold

Based on 17 Analyst Ratings

Sell
4

Hold
10

Buy
3

Based on 17 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Paychex in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 17 analysts, 4 have given a sell rating, 10 have given a hold rating, 2 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for PAYX.

Consensus Price Target

$105.80
-3.40% Downside

According to the 17 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Paychex, the average price target is $105.80. The highest price target for PAYX is $140.00, while the lowest price target for PAYX is $52.00. The average price target represents a forecasted downside of -3.40% from the current price of $109.52.

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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PAYX Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 7/14/25 to 7/14/26	1 Month Ago 6/14/25 to 6/14/26	3 Months Ago 4/15/25 to 4/15/26	1 Year Ago 7/14/24 to 7/14/25
Strong Buy	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)
Hold	10 Hold rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)
Sell	4 Sell rating(s)	4 Sell rating(s)	4 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$105.80	$106.63	$106.38	$150.20
Forecasted Upside	-3.40% Downside	5.96% Upside	17.85% Upside	4.08% Upside
Consensus Rating	Hold	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	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	2.00	2.28	2.52
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	-3.40% Downside	190.53% Upside	14.61% 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

Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
6/30/2026	Morgan Stanley 3 of 5 stars	James Faucette 1 of 5 stars	Boost Target	Equal Weight	$107.00 ➝ $109.00	+9.21%
6/25/2026	UBS Group 4 of 5 stars	Kevin McVeigh 1 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Neutral	$100.00 ➝ $98.00	-0.89%
6/25/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. 3 of 5 stars	Tien-Tsin Huang 1 of 5 stars	Boost Target	Underweight	$100.00 ➝ $105.00	+9.03%
6/17/2026	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	David Grossman Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Hold	$105.00 ➝ $110.00	+9.69%
6/15/2026	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Bryan Keane Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Neutral ➝ Buy	$99.00 ➝ $140.00	+39.12%
6/8/2026	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Bryan C. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Hold	$94.00 ➝ $98.00	-1.73%
5/28/2026	Royal Bank Of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ashish Sabadra Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Sector Perform
4/24/2026	Weiss Ratings Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Hold (C-)
3/27/2026	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Strong-Buy
3/26/2026	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Equal Weight	$125.00 ➝ $105.00	+15.52%
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.
3/26/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Hold	$110.00 ➝ $105.00	+15.52%
3/26/2026	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Daniel Jester Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Outperform	$52.00	-42.79%
3/26/2026	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jason Kupferberg Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Underweight	$116.00 ➝ $95.00	-0.09%
3/26/2026	Robert W. Baird Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Mark Marcon Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$148.00 ➝ $125.00	+33.89%
3/19/2026	Guggenheim Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jacob Smith Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Initiated Coverage	Neutral
1/27/2026	Cantor Fitzgerald Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ramsey El-Assal Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Strong Sell
12/10/2025	Wolfe Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Underperform	$130.00 ➝ $115.00	+2.00%
6/24/2025	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ramsey El-Assal Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Equal Weight	$155.00	+2.91%
3/27/2025	Cfra Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	S. Gheewala Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 11:56 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 Thursday, July 9, 2026. 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 company recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.32, exceeding analysts' expectations, which indicates strong financial performance and potential for growth.
Paychex, Inc. has demonstrated a robust return on equity of 50.90%, suggesting effective management and profitability relative to shareholder equity.
With a quarterly revenue increase of approximately 12.5% year-over-year, the company shows strong growth momentum, which can attract investors looking for expanding businesses.
The current stock price is around $120, reflecting a stable investment opportunity in the business services sector.
Paychex, Inc. has recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.19 per share, which signals confidence in its ongoing profitability and provides a steady income stream for investors.

Paychex
Bear Case

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

The company's dividend payout ratio is currently high at 97.34%, which may raise concerns about sustainability if earnings do not continue to grow.
Analysts predict a lower EPS of 5.5 for the current fiscal year compared to previous earnings, indicating potential challenges in maintaining growth.
Despite recent revenue growth, the competitive landscape in the payroll and HR services market could pressure margins and profitability.
Paychex, Inc. operates in a sector that is sensitive to economic fluctuations, which could impact its performance during downturns.
Investors may find the stock's yield of 4.5% less attractive compared to other investment opportunities with higher returns in the current market environment.

PAYX Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 17 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Paychex is $105.80, with a high forecast of $140.00 and a low forecast of $52.00.

17 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Paychex in the last twelve months. There are currently 4 sell ratings, 10 hold ratings, 2 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "hold" PAYX shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in PAYX, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

According to analysts, Paychex's stock has a predicted downside of -3.40% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Paychex's stock had 2 upgrades by analysts.

Paychex has been rated by research analysts at Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank Of Canada, Stifel Nicolaus, TD Cowen, UBS Group, and Weiss Ratings in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Paychex less than other "computer and technology" companies. The consensus rating score for Paychex is 2.00 while the average consensus rating score for "computer and technology" companies is 2.28. Learn more on how PAYX compares to other companies.

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This page (NASDAQ:PAYX) was last updated on 7/14/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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Paychex (PAYX) Stock Forecast & Price Target