Paychex, Inc. $PAYX Shares Acquired by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYXFree Report) by 32.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 322,182 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 78,776 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Paychex worth $36,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Paychex during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Paychex in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Paychex in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Paychex during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Paychex during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. 83.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Paychex Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of Paychex stock opened at $93.36 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $33.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17 and a beta of 0.91. Paychex, Inc. has a 1 year low of $86.89 and a 1 year high of $161.24. The company’s fifty day moving average is $97.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.39.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYXGet Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The business services provider reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.04. Paychex had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.38%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Paychex declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Friday, January 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Paychex Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were given a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. Paychex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.96%.

Key Headlines Impacting Paychex

Here are the key news stories impacting Paychex this week:

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on PAYX shares. Wolfe Research decreased their price objective on shares of Paychex from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Paychex from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Paychex from $125.00 to $102.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Stephens decreased their target price on Paychex from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Paychex from $139.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $121.38.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Paychex

About Paychex

(Free Report)

Paychex, Inc, founded in 1971 by B. Thomas “Tom” Golisano and headquartered in Rochester, New York, is a provider of payroll, human resources, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses. The company’s core services include payroll processing and tax filing, employee benefits administration, retirement services, and workers’ compensation administration, designed to simplify back-office operations and help clients comply with regulatory and tax requirements.

Paychex offers an integrated technology platform, marketed under the Paychex Flex brand, which delivers cloud-based payroll, HR, time and attendance, and reporting tools.

Further Reading

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX)

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