Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Competitors

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) and Mastercard (NYSE:MA) are both large-cap business services companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, community ranking and media sentiment.

Does the media refer more to ADP or MA?

In the previous week, Mastercard had 34 more articles in the media than Automatic Data Processing. MarketBeat recorded 86 mentions for Mastercard and 52 mentions for Automatic Data Processing. Automatic Data Processing's average media sentiment score of 1.34 beat Mastercard's score of 1.14 indicating that Automatic Data Processing is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Automatic Data Processing	43 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Mastercard	66 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ADP or MA more profitable?

Mastercard has a net margin of 45.26% compared to Automatic Data Processing's net margin of 19.72%. Mastercard's return on equity of 178.27% beat Automatic Data Processing's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Automatic Data Processing	19.72%	82.36%	6.89%
Mastercard	45.26%	178.27%	29.81%

Which has more risk & volatility, ADP or MA?

Automatic Data Processing has a beta of 0.79, meaning that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Mastercard has a beta of 1.1, meaning that its share price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate ADP or MA?

Automatic Data Processing presently has a consensus target price of $289.91, indicating a potential downside of 2.12%. Mastercard has a consensus target price of $566.63, indicating a potential upside of 7.88%. Given Mastercard's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Mastercard is more favorable than Automatic Data Processing.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Automatic Data Processing	2 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Mastercard	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	22 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.89

Does the MarketBeat Community favor ADP or MA?

Mastercard received 895 more outperform votes than Automatic Data Processing when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 72.89% of users gave Mastercard an outperform vote while only 58.34% of users gave Automatic Data Processing an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Automatic Data Processing	Outperform Votes 640 58.34%	Underperform Votes 457 41.66%
Mastercard	Outperform Votes 1535 72.89%	Underperform Votes 571 27.11%

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of ADP or MA?

80.0% of Automatic Data Processing shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.3% of Mastercard shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Automatic Data Processing shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Mastercard shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has higher earnings & valuation, ADP or MA?

Mastercard has higher revenue and earnings than Automatic Data Processing. Automatic Data Processing is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mastercard, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Automatic Data Processing	$19.20B	6.28	$3.75B	$9.37	31.61
Mastercard	$25.10B	19.21	$11.20B	$13.22	39.73

Is ADP or MA a better dividend stock?

Automatic Data Processing pays an annual dividend of $6.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Mastercard pays an annual dividend of $2.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Automatic Data Processing pays out 65.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Mastercard pays out 20.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Automatic Data Processing has increased its dividend for 49 consecutive years and Mastercard has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Automatic Data Processing is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Mastercard beats Automatic Data Processing on 18 of the 22 factors compared between the two stocks.