Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) Stock Holdings Reduced by Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI cut its stake in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 193,250 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 2,561 shares during the period. Paychex accounts for approximately 2.2% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI owned 0.05% of Paychex worth $27,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Paychex during the fourth quarter worth approximately $184,216,000. Amundi raised its stake in Paychex by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,534,145 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $215,164,000 after acquiring an additional 672,010 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Paychex by 30,382.8% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 568,809 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $79,758,000 after acquiring an additional 566,943 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Paychex by 46.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,748,485 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $234,627,000 after purchasing an additional 552,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Paychex by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,044,631 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,408,458,000 after purchasing an additional 519,761 shares during the period. 83.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Paychex Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Paychex stock traded down $1.49 on Wednesday, reaching $145.01. 2,780,538 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,785,852. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Paychex, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $114.72 and a fifty-two week high of $158.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $146.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.95.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. Paychex had a net margin of 32.02% and a return on equity of 45.28%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

Paychex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. Paychex's payout ratio is presently 82.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on PAYX. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $148.00 price objective on shares of Paychex in a report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Paychex from $133.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Paychex from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Paychex from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Paychex currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $133.23.

Paychex Profile

Paychex, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated human capital management solutions (HCM) for payroll, benefits, human resources (HR), and insurance services for small to medium-sized businesses in the United States, Europe, and India. It offers payroll processing services; payroll tax administration services; employee payment services; and regulatory compliance services, such as new-hire reporting and garnishment processing.