Paychex, Inc. $PAYX Shares Purchased by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 4.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 136,826 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,516 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Paychex were worth $17,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Paychex by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,710 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $801,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Paychex by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Paychex during the first quarter worth approximately $3,333,000. American National Bank & Trust grew its stake in Paychex by 122.4% in the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 1,263 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares during the period. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Paychex by 19.9% in the 2nd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 6,846 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $996,000 after acquiring an additional 1,137 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.47% of the company’s stock.

Paychex Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PAYX opened at $106.63 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $111.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $125.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.18 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Paychex, Inc. has a 12 month low of $106.47 and a 12 month high of $161.24.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. Paychex had a return on equity of 46.38% and a net margin of 26.45%.The company’s revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.14 EPS. Paychex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.480-5.530 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Paychex declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, January 16th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Paychex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 28th. Paychex’s payout ratio is currently 97.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PAYX. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Paychex in a report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Paychex in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Paychex from $139.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Paychex from $140.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Paychex from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $125.67.

Paychex Company Profile

Paychex, Inc, founded in 1971 by B. Thomas “Tom” Golisano and headquartered in Rochester, New York, is a provider of payroll, human resources, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses. The company’s core services include payroll processing and tax filing, employee benefits administration, retirement services, and workers’ compensation administration, designed to simplify back-office operations and help clients comply with regulatory and tax requirements.

Paychex offers an integrated technology platform, marketed under the Paychex Flex brand, which delivers cloud-based payroll, HR, time and attendance, and reporting tools.