Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. Makes New $1.76 Million Investment in Paychex, Inc. $PAYX

Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 19,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,760,000. Paychex comprises about 1.9% of Measured Risk Portfolios Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in Paychex by 957.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 296 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Paychex in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Paychex during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Leonteq Securities AG increased its stake in shares of Paychex by 2,669.2% during the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 360 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Paychex during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.47% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Paychex news, Director Joseph M. Tucci sold 3,907 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.25, for a total transaction of $383,862.75. Following the sale, the director owned 67,364 shares in the company, valued at $6,618,513. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Paychex Price Performance

PAYX stock opened at $115.48 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. Paychex, Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.45 and a 1 year high of $148.11. The firm has a market cap of $41.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.62 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $102.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.35.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 24th. The business services provider reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.60 billion. Paychex had a return on equity of 50.90% and a net margin of 27.03%.Paychex’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Paychex has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.900-6.010 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Paychex, Inc. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Paychex Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th will be paid a $1.19 dividend. This represents a $4.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 28th. Paychex’s dividend payout ratio is 97.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Paychex from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Paychex from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Paychex from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Paychex from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Paychex from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Paychex has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $107.53.

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.