Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Shares Acquired by S&CO Inc.

S&CO Inc. boosted its stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 205,840 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares during the quarter. Automatic Data Processing accounts for about 3.7% of S&CO Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. S&CO Inc. owned 0.05% of Automatic Data Processing worth $56,962,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Automatic Data Processing Trading Down 1.4 %

ADP traded down $4.35 on Friday, hitting $297.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,457,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,667,095. The company's fifty day moving average price is $287.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $264.14. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.12 and a 1 year high of $309.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $121.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.77, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.79.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $4.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.77 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 19.72% and a return on equity of 82.36%. The business's revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.08 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.54 per share. This represents a $6.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. This is a boost from Automatic Data Processing's previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio is 59.77%.

Insider Transactions at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, VP Sreenivasa Kutam sold 38,975 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $11,692,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 32,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,781,200. This represents a 54.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP David Kwon sold 846 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.60, for a total transaction of $228,927.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,816,946. This trade represents a 7.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 97,792 shares of company stock worth $27,691,708 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ADP shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $270.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com lowered Automatic Data Processing from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. 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 report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $260.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $271.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $289.91.

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.