Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Position Boosted by First National Trust Co

First National Trust Co lifted its position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 34.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,684 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 14,334 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $16,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,000. LBP AM SA grew its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 80,033 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,428,000 after buying an additional 3,461 shares in the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Automatic Data Processing in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,132,000. Impact Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Automatic Data Processing in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,217,000. Finally, DecisionMap Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Automatic Data Processing in the 4th quarter worth approximately $207,000. Institutional investors own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Automatic Data Processing

In other news, CEO Maria Black sold 721 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.59, for a total transaction of $210,236.39. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 68,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,077,721.04. This represents a 1.04 % 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 Brian L. Michaud sold 362 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.83, for a total value of $106,366.46. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,951 shares of company stock worth $1,762,074. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP opened at $290.55 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $302.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $294.30. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $231.27 and a fifty-two week high of $322.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.54 per share. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Automatic Data Processing’s payout ratio is presently 64.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays upped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $318.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.18.

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.