Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Stock Holdings Lifted by World Investment Advisors

World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,730 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,264 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $2,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Automatic Data Processing during the 4th quarter valued at $708,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 5.8% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 280,961 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $77,750,000 after acquiring an additional 15,340 shares in the last quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co lifted its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co now owns 99,299 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $29,068,000 after acquiring an additional 1,951 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Automatic Data Processing by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 529,690 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $146,581,000 after purchasing an additional 22,766 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 667,068 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $194,117,000 after purchasing an additional 51,828 shares in the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on ADP shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lifted 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Automatic Data Processing from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $302.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, VP Christopher D'ambrosio sold 473 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.20, for a total value of $144,832.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,218,112.80. This represents a 6.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Jonathan S. Lehberger sold 2,324 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.30, for a total transaction of $704,869.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $929,007.90. The trade was a 43.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,364 shares of company stock worth $1,613,094 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Performance

ADP traded down $6.83 on Thursday, reaching $287.86. The stock had a trading volume of 1,067,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,656,655. The company has a market cap of $117.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.74. The business's 50-day moving average price is $302.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $297.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12-month low of $231.27 and a 12-month high of $322.84.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $2.35 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $1.54 dividend. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Automatic Data Processing's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.23%.

Automatic Data Processing Company 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.