Blueshift Asset Management LLC Buys 1,475 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) by 105.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,874 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,475 shares during the quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC's holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $841,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADP. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Automatic Data Processing in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 346.5% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Automatic Data Processing in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Automatic Data Processing in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Automatic Data Processing during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.03% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, VP David Foskett sold 1,004 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.29, for a total value of $290,447.16. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,958 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,723,589.82. This trade represents a 14.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 362 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.83, for a total transaction of $106,366.46. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 13,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,027,233.98. This represents a 2.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,951 shares of company stock worth $1,762,074. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

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Automatic Data Processing Stock Performance

Shares of Automatic Data Processing stock traded up $3.57 during trading on Monday, hitting $298.89. 1,709,089 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,460,980. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 1 year low of $231.27 and a 1 year high of $322.84. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $303.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $295.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.17, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $1.54 dividend. This represents a $6.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $318.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Automatic Data Processing from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Automatic Data Processing has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $296.18.

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.