Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC Sells 5,255 Shares of Paychex, Inc. $PAYX

Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC trimmed its position in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 10.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 43,996 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,255 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Paychex were worth $5,577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Paychex by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,710 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $801,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Paychex by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Paychex in the 1st quarter valued at $3,333,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in Paychex by 33.6% during the 2nd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 6,359 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $925,000 after buying an additional 1,601 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Paychex by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 119,873 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,410,000 after buying an additional 4,209 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Paychex from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Paychex from $150.00 to $125.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Argus cut their price objective on Paychex from $150.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Paychex in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered their target price on Paychex from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $123.94.

Paychex Price Performance

PAYX stock opened at $100.85 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $102.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.48. The stock has a market cap of $36.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.87 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. Paychex, Inc. has a 1 year low of $86.89 and a 1 year high of $161.24.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. Paychex had a return on equity of 46.38% and a net margin of 26.45%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.14 earnings per share. Paychex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.480-5.530 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Paychex Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 28th were given a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. Paychex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.96%.

Paychex declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Friday, January 16th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About Paychex

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.