Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP Shares Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 13.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 548,638 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,211 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.14% of Automatic Data Processing worth $160,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 92.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,026 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,935,000 after buying an additional 4,808 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,664 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 21.8% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 7.0% in the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 19,981 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,162,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the period. Finally, Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 8.6% during the second quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 12,160 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,750,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ADP. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $311.00 to $274.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $280.00 to $270.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $306.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price (down from $245.00) on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $290.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.18, for a total transaction of $234,180.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 15,310 shares in the company, valued at $3,585,295.80. The trade was a 6.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP David Kwon sold 806 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.80, for a total transaction of $213,428.80. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 11,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,962,317.60. This represents a 6.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 3,515 shares of company stock worth $887,074 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Trading Up 1.6%

NASDAQ:ADP opened at $226.29 on Monday. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.26 and a 12-month high of $329.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $238.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $262.83. The firm has a market cap of $91.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76 and a beta of 0.86.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 68.44% and a net margin of 19.96%.The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.38%.

Automatic Data Processing declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 14th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Automatic Data Processing Profile

Automatic Data Processing, Inc (ADP) is a global provider of cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and payroll solutions. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey, ADP began as a payroll processing company and has evolved into a diversified provider of workforce management, HR, benefits administration, tax and compliance services, and analytics for employers of all sizes.

ADP’s product portfolio includes payroll processing and tax filing, time and attendance systems, benefits administration, talent management, and HR outsourcing.