Atria Investments Inc Cuts Stock Holdings in Paychex, Inc. $PAYX

Atria Investments Inc decreased its position in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 47,614 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 6,454 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Paychex were worth $6,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Paychex in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Paychex by 83.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 215 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Paychex during the third quarter worth $32,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Paychex by 40.6% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 263 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Paychex in the third quarter worth $35,000. 83.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Paychex Stock Up 2.1%

PAYX opened at $94.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27. Paychex, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $91.70 and a fifty-two week high of $161.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $108.43 and its 200 day moving average is $120.48. The stock has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.40 and a beta of 0.90.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last posted its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. Paychex had a return on equity of 46.38% and a net margin of 26.45%.The firm’s revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. Paychex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.480-5.530 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Paychex announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Friday, January 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Paychex Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 28th. Paychex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Paychex from $128.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Paychex in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Paychex from $139.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Paychex in a report on Monday, December 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $123.94.

About Paychex

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.