Free Trial

Paychex (PAYX) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Paychex logo
$144.13 -0.70 (-0.48%)
Closing price 04:00 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$143.56 -0.56 (-0.39%)
As of 06:16 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more.

Paychex - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

Consensus Rating

Sell
2
Hold
11
Buy
0

Based on 13 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Paychex in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce." Out of the 13 analysts, 2 have given a sell rating, and 11 have given a hold rating for PAYX.

Consensus Price Target

$133.23
-7.56% Downside
According to the 13 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Paychex, the average price target is $133.23. The highest price target for PAYX is $155.00, while the lowest price target for PAYX is $113.00. The average price target represents a forecasted downside of -7.56% from the current price of $144.13.
Get the Latest News and Ratings for PAYX and Related Stocks

Enter your email address to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Paychex and its competitors.

Sign Up

PAYX Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
3/25/24 to 3/25/25
1 Month Ago
2/24/24 to 2/23/25
3 Months Ago
12/26/23 to 12/25/24
1 Year Ago
3/26/23 to 3/25/24
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
Hold
11 Hold rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
Sell
2 Sell rating(s)
2 Sell rating(s)
2 Sell rating(s)
2 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$133.23$132.23$132.23$123.17
Forecasted Upside-7.56% Downside-10.96% Downside-6.48% Downside3.54% Upside
Consensus Rating
Reduce
Reduce
Reduce
Reduce
Remove Ads

PAYX Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
Skip Chart & View Analyst Rating History

PAYX Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Paychex Stock vs. The Competition

TypePaychexBusiness Services CompaniesS&P 500
Consensus Rating Score
1.85
2.71
2.54
Consensus RatingReduceModerate BuyModerate Buy
Predicted Upside-7.63% Downside1,353.68% Upside17.40% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent PAYX News
Positive News
Positive News
Remove Ads
DateBrokerageAnalyst NameActionRatingPrice TargetUpside/Downside on Report DateDetails
3/4/2025UBS Group
4 of 5 stars
Kevin Mcveigh
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
Boost TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$152.00 ➝ $155.00+0.17%
12/23/2024Barclays
3 of 5 stars
 Boost TargetEqual Weight ➝ Equal Weight$135.00 ➝ $140.00+0.33%
12/20/2024Royal Bank of Canada
4 of 5 stars
 Reiterated RatingSector Perform ➝ Sector Perform$148.00 ➝ $148.00+7.68%
11/19/2024JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Boost TargetUnderweight ➝ Underweight$133.00 ➝ $139.00-1.50%
10/2/2024TD Cowen
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Boost TargetHold ➝ Hold$126.00 ➝ $131.00-7.37%
10/2/2024Jefferies Financial Group
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Boost TargetHold ➝ Hold$120.00 ➝ $130.00-8.00%
10/2/2024Stifel Nicolaus
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Boost TargetHold ➝ Hold$130.00 ➝ $141.00-0.22%
10/2/2024Morgan Stanley
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Boost TargetEqual Weight ➝ Equal Weight$122.00 ➝ $133.00-5.53%
9/25/2024Citigroup
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Boost TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$125.00 ➝ $145.00+9.01%
6/27/2024Bank of America
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Boost TargetUnderperform ➝ Underperform$111.00 ➝ $113.00-3.74%
6/27/2024Robert W. Baird
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Lower TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$126.00 ➝ $124.00+5.63%
4/3/2024Wedbush
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Reiterated RatingNeutral ➝ Neutral$115.00-5.80%
3/26/2024Evercore ISI
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Reiterated RatingIn-Line ➝ In-Line$118.00-1.14%
10/3/2023Argus
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Boost Target$125.00 ➝ $130.00+14.26%
6/30/2023VNET Group
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Reiterated RatingMaintains
6/2/20233M
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
 Reiterated RatingInitiates

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 06:21 PM ET.


Should I Buy Paychex Stock? PAYX Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Sunday, March 23, 2025. Please send any questions or comments about these Paychex pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Paychex
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Paychex, Inc.:

  • Paychex, Inc. has demonstrated strong financial performance, reporting a net margin of 32.02% and a return on equity of 45.28%, indicating efficient management and profitability.
  • The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.98, which translates to an annualized dividend yield of 2.74%. This consistent dividend payment can provide a steady income stream for investors.
  • With a market capitalization of $51.50 billion, Paychex, Inc. is a well-established player in the business services sector, which can offer stability and lower risk compared to smaller companies.
  • The stock is currently priced at $143.02, which is within a reasonable range compared to its twelve-month high of $158.37, suggesting potential for growth as it approaches previous highs.
  • Recent institutional investments, including a 5.0% increase in stake by Royal London Asset Management Ltd., indicate confidence from large investors, which can be a positive signal for retail investors.

Paychex
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Paychex, Inc. for these reasons:

  • The stock has experienced a recent decline of 1.5%, which may indicate volatility and potential challenges in maintaining its stock price.
  • With a P/E ratio of 30.11, the stock may be considered overvalued compared to industry peers, suggesting that investors might be paying a premium for earnings.
  • The price-to-earnings-growth (P/E/G) ratio of 4.10 indicates that the stock's price may not be justified by its earnings growth, which could deter growth-focused investors.
  • Despite a strong dividend payout ratio of 82.53%, this high ratio may raise concerns about the sustainability of future dividends, especially if earnings growth slows.
  • 83.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, which can lead to increased volatility if these large stakeholders decide to sell their positions.

PAYX Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 13 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Paychex is $133.23, with a high forecast of $155.00 and a low forecast of $113.00.

13 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Paychex in the last twelve months. There are currently 2 sell ratings and 11 hold ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "reduce" PAYX shares.

According to analysts, Paychex's stock has a predicted downside of -7.56% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Paychex has been rated by research analysts at UBS Group in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Paychex less than other "business services" companies. The consensus rating for Paychex is Reduce while the average consensus rating for "business services" companies is Moderate Buy. Learn more on how PAYX compares to other companies.


This page (NASDAQ:PAYX) was last updated on 3/25/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff
From Our Partners