Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Holdings Lifted by Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC

Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC grew its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,280 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 163 shares during the quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the 4th quarter worth approximately $708,000. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 121.7% in the 4th quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 12,898 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,776,000 after buying an additional 7,080 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in Automatic Data Processing by 67.9% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,292 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 2,545 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 228,973 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $63,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing in the fourth quarter valued at $2,693,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.20, for a total transaction of $144,832.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,244 shares in the company, valued at $2,218,112.80. The trade was a 6.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.38, for a total transaction of $458,070.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,686,852.74. This represents a 11.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,451 shares of company stock valued at $743,024. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Price Performance

Automatic Data Processing stock opened at $308.01 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $297.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $299.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $125.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.12, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.76. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12-month low of $231.27 and a 12-month high of $322.84.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.49 billion. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 19.76% and a return on equity of 80.86%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $1.54 per share. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ADP. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $318.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Thursday, May 1st. TD Securities boosted their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $296.00 to $298.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Automatic Data Processing has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.55.

Automatic Data Processing Profile

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.