Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Buys 1,547 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 163,834 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,547 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $48,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Automatic Data Processing in the third quarter worth $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 346.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Automatic Data Processing

In other news, CEO Maria Black sold 721 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.59, for a total value of $210,236.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 68,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,077,721.04. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Jonathan S. Lehberger sold 2,324 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.30, for a total value of $704,869.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $929,007.90. This trade represents a 43.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 5,478 shares of company stock valued at $1,617,241. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Automatic Data Processing Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP traded up $1.74 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $309.89. 1,313,163 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,622,654. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $297.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $289.10. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12 month low of $231.27 and a 12 month high of $311.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.27 billion, a PE ratio of 32.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.79.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 80.86% and a net margin of 19.76%. Equities research analysts expect that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio is currently 64.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on ADP. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $270.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $293.55.

About Automatic Data Processing

Automatic Data Processing, Inc provides cloud-based human capital management solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Employer Services and Professional Employer Organization (PEO). The Employer Services segment offers strategic, cloud-based platforms, and human resources (HR) outsourcing solutions.