Paychex, Inc. $PAYX Shares Bought by First Long Island Investors LLC

First Long Island Investors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 99,607 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 19,185 shares during the quarter. First Long Island Investors LLC’s holdings in Paychex were worth $12,626,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Paychex by 26.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,710 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $801,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Paychex by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $566,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Paychex during the 1st quarter worth about $3,333,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in Paychex during the 2nd quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Paychex by 51.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 619 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. 83.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Paychex Price Performance

Shares of PAYX opened at $93.65 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.24 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $104.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.77. Paychex, Inc. has a twelve month low of $86.89 and a twelve month high of $161.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

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

Paychex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were given a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. Paychex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.96%.

Paychex declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Friday, January 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PAYX has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Paychex from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Paychex from $133.00 to $123.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Paychex from $139.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Paychex from $128.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research reduced their price objective on Paychex from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $123.94.

Paychex 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.