Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Sells 4,500 Shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC decreased its holdings in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 88.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 600 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,500 shares during the period. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. McAdam LLC lifted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 6.7% during the third quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Mcdaniel Terry & Co. raised its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mcdaniel Terry & Co. now owns 184,918 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $51,172,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,936 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,196,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Automatic Data Processing in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,037,000. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 193.7% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,624 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 1,071 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho increased their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $281.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $293.55.

Insider Activity at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, VP Jonathan S. Lehberger sold 2,324 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.30, for a total transaction of $704,869.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,063 shares in the company, valued at $929,007.90. This trade represents a 43.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 362 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.83, for a total value of $106,366.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,706 shares in the company, valued at $4,027,233.98. This trade represents a 2.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,478 shares of company stock valued at $1,617,241. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Price Performance

ADP opened at $310.76 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.40, a PEG ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $298.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $290.11. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12-month low of $231.27 and a 12-month high of $313.72.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 80.86% and a net margin of 19.76%. Equities analysts predict that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $1.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.23%.

About Automatic Data Processing

Automatic Data Processing, Inc provides cloud-based human capital management solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Employer Services and Professional Employer Organization (PEO). The Employer Services segment offers strategic, cloud-based platforms, and human resources (HR) outsourcing solutions.