Jupiter Topco LLC Acquires Shares of 674,753 Paylocity Holding Corporation $PCTY

Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Paylocity Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:PCTY) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 674,753 shares of the software maker’s stock, valued at approximately $70,540,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Paylocity by 5.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 136,388 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $25,551,000 after buying an additional 7,594 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in Paylocity by 24.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,365 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Paylocity by 537.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 465 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Paylocity by 2,782.7% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 35,688 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $6,466,000 after acquiring an additional 34,450 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Paylocity by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 19,241 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $3,486,000 after acquiring an additional 1,749 shares in the last quarter. 94.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on PCTY shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Paylocity from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Paylocity from $168.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Paylocity from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of Paylocity from $160.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on Paylocity from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.53.

Key Headlines Impacting Paylocity

Here are the key news stories impacting Paylocity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several future EPS forecasts. Zacks Research lifted its FY2027 estimate to $6.33 from $5.98 and its FY2028 estimate to $7.18 from $6.67. It also increased projections for Q1 and Q2 of 2027, Q3 of 2028, and initiated an FY2029 estimate of $8.28. The revisions suggest improved expectations for Paylocity’s long-term earnings growth, although Zacks retained a “Hold” rating. Zacks Paylocity estimates
• Positive Sentiment: AI recruiting capabilities are gaining customer traction. Paylocity is partnering with a major client through HireQuotient’s AI-powered recruiting platform. A customer cited a 70% reduction in manual recruiting work and a more-than-50% reduction in time to hire, supporting the potential value of Paylocity’s integrated HCM and recruiting ecosystem. Paylocity AI recruiting partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Broader software-sector momentum provided additional support. Paylocity was listed among software companies trading higher, suggesting investor interest in technology stocks and AI-related applications may have contributed to the move. Software stocks trading higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Estimate changes were mixed. Zacks reduced its Q4 2027 EPS forecast to $1.39 from $1.43 and Q2 2028 to $1.57 from $1.58. Its current-year consensus estimate remains $6.86 per share.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling was minimal. Director Steven Sarowitz sold 441 shares for $68,355 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced his holdings by only 0.01%, leaving him with nearly 4.47 million shares, making it unlikely to materially affect sentiment. Paylocity director stock sale

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Andrew Cappotelli sold 2,550 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.83, for a total value of $382,066.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 44,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,641,814.07. This trade represents a 5.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Steven I. Sarowitz sold 11,136 shares of Paylocity stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.81, for a total value of $1,679,420.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,535,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,931,192.12. This trade represents a 0.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,741 shares of company stock worth $4,621,962. Insiders own 19.40% of the company’s stock.

Paylocity Trading Up 4.0%

PCTY stock opened at $158.15 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.95 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.93. Paylocity Holding Corporation has a 1-year low of $92.99 and a 1-year high of $181.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.22. Paylocity had a return on equity of 27.02% and a net margin of 15.23%.The company had revenue of $444.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $431.46 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Paylocity Holding Corporation will post 6.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Paylocity

Paylocity (NASDAQ: PCTY) is a leading provider of cloud-based payroll and human capital management (HCM) software designed to streamline workforce administration for mid-sized organizations. The company’s integrated platform automates core functions such as payroll processing, benefits administration, time and labor tracking, and compliance management, enabling employers to manage employee data more efficiently and reduce administrative burdens.

In addition to payroll and HR capabilities, Paylocity offers talent management solutions including recruiting, onboarding, performance tracking, and learning management.