47,253 Shares in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Purchased by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 47,253 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $13,076,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADP. Kiely Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 78.5% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Automatic Data Processing in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Automatic Data Processing in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 80.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP David Kwon sold 846 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.60, for a total transaction of $228,927.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,816,946. This trade represents a 7.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Maria Black sold 19,147 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.38, for a total transaction of $5,253,553.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 92,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,464,384.66. This represents a 17.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 97,792 shares of company stock valued at $27,691,708 over the last ninety days. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ADP has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $250.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $281.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $271.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $270.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $289.91.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Performance

ADP stock traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $297.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,741,746 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,631,244. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.24 billion, a PE ratio of 31.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $287.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $264.53. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.12 and a fifty-two week high of $309.37.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $4.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.77 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 19.72% and a return on equity of 82.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.08 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $1.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This is a positive change from Automatic Data Processing's previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.77%.

Automatic Data Processing Profile

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.