Great Diamond Partners LLC Trims Position in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Great Diamond Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 16.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,560 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,498 shares during the quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $3,231,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 6,493.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,468,180 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $892,120,000 after purchasing an additional 3,415,576 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 47.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,830,294 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,004,691,000 after purchasing an additional 2,208,927 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 32.1% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,273,700 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $960,831,000 after purchasing an additional 796,379 shares in the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter worth about $139,636,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 0.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,689,633 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,235,907,000 after purchasing an additional 389,451 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ADP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen raised Automatic Data Processing to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Automatic Data Processing in a report on Thursday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Automatic Data Processing from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $214.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $230.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on Automatic Data Processing from $306.00 to $244.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Automatic Data Processing currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $249.00.

Insider Transactions at Automatic Data Processing

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.45, for a total value of $113,188.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 8,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,857,706.40. This represents a 5.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of ADP opened at $220.69 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $88.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $206.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $232.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 1 year low of $188.16 and a 1 year high of $329.93.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.30 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.85 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 68.82% and a net margin of 20.12%.Automatic Data Processing’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.010-11.110 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be paid a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.43%.

More Automatic Data Processing News

Here are the key news stories impacting Automatic Data Processing this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded Automatic Data Processing (ADP) to Equal Weight, adding to the bullish tone around the stock as analysts become more constructive on its outlook. Wells Fargo upgrades Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
• Positive Sentiment: ADP’s latest earnings-call commentary highlighted AI-related gains and an upgraded outlook, which may be improving investor confidence in future growth and margins. ADP Earnings Call Highlights AI Gains and Upgraded Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management has emphasized AI as a “defining moment” for the company, reinforcing the view that automation and product innovation could support longer-term earnings growth. Automatic Data Processing CEO says AI marks ‘defining moment’ as labor market stays muted
• Neutral Sentiment: ADP also published its weekly employment estimate, showing U.S. private employers added an average of 42,250 jobs per week through May 2. The report is supportive of ADP’s data franchise, but it is not a direct earnings catalyst. ADP National Employment Report Preliminary Estimate for May 2, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage focused on whether Wall Street is broadly bullish or bearish on ADP, but did not add a clearly new fundamental catalyst. Automatic Data Processing stock outlook: Is Wall Street bullish or bearish?
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen’s move to Hold suggests some analysts see less upside near term, which could temper enthusiasm despite the recent positive news flow. Automatic Data Processing was upgraded by TD Cowen to “hold”

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.