United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP)

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 62,511 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 15,615 shares during the quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $18,299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 121.8% during the 4th quarter. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC now owns 122 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.38, for a total transaction of $458,070.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,686,852.74. This trade represents a 11.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Christopher D'ambrosio sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.20, for a total transaction of $144,832.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 7,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,218,112.80. This represents a 6.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,775 shares of company stock worth $1,447,893. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Down 0.3 %

ADP traded down $0.86 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $293.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,667,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,677,728. The company has a market capitalization of $119.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.58, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.74. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $301.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $298.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 52 week low of $231.27 and a 52 week high of $322.84.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 80.86% and a net margin of 19.76%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $6.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on ADP shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated 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 upped their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $318.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Automatic Data Processing from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays upped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $302.30.

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.