MCF Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 112.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,005 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $1,469,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mitchell Capital Management Co. increased its position in Automatic Data Processing by 325.0% during the third quarter. Mitchell Capital Management Co. now owns 6,800 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,996,000 after buying an additional 5,200 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the third quarter worth approximately $5,292,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing in the third quarter valued at $2,794,000. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 86.6% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 93,586 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,467,000 after purchasing an additional 43,438 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 34.1% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 26,144 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,725,000 after purchasing an additional 6,655 shares during the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ADP. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $306.00 to $244.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $332.00 to $305.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $270.00 to $240.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $300.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $244.29.

Insider Activity at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.45, for a total value of $113,188.35. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,857,706.40. This represents a 5.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Trading Up 0.3%

ADP stock opened at $231.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $210.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $230.12. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 52 week low of $188.16 and a 52 week high of $329.93. The company has a market capitalization of $92.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64 and a beta of 0.84.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $3.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.30 by $0.07. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 20.12% and a return on equity of 68.82%. The business had revenue of $5.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. Automatic Data Processing’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.010-11.110 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio is 63.43%.

About Automatic Data Processing

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.