Willis Investment Counsel Has $25.14 Million Stock Position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Willis Investment Counsel raised its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 8.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,656 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,319 shares during the quarter. Automatic Data Processing comprises 1.4% of Willis Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $25,140,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 30,110.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,668,758 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,439,845,000 after purchasing an additional 4,653,304 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing in the second quarter valued at $696,841,000. Amundi lifted its position in Automatic Data Processing by 24.9% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 3,109,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $948,549,000 after purchasing an additional 619,829 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 26.6% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,812,637 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $867,445,000 after buying an additional 591,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,576,681 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,411,449,000 after buying an additional 544,968 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Down 0.3%

NASDAQ:ADP opened at $233.34 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $257.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $276.19. The company has a market cap of $93.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.46 and a beta of 0.85. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 52-week low of $230.78 and a 52-week high of $329.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $5.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.091-11.011 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 14th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to buy up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Automatic Data Processing’s payout ratio is currently 65.38%.

Insider Activity at Automatic Data Processing

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP David Kwon sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $234,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 11,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,118,180. The trade was a 6.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.29, for a total transaction of $142,423.47. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 9,998 shares in the company, valued at $2,622,375.42. The trade was a 5.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 2,249 shares of company stock valued at $589,852 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ADP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Automatic Data Processing in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $306.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $311.00 to $274.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $272.00 to $262.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $290.83.

Automatic Data Processing Company 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.