Entropy Technologies LP Acquires New Holdings in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. $ADP

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 27,204 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,998,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADP. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 6,493.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,468,180 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $892,120,000 after acquiring an additional 3,415,576 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 950.1% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 3,563,180 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $916,557,000 after acquiring an additional 3,223,855 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Automatic Data Processing in the 4th quarter valued at about $721,738,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 47.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,830,294 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,004,691,000 after acquiring an additional 2,208,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 133.3% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,687,793 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $434,151,000 after acquiring an additional 964,405 shares during the last quarter. 80.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Automatic Data Processing Price Performance

Automatic Data Processing stock opened at $226.21 on Friday. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.16 and a 12-month high of $315.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $212.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $229.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.30 by $0.07. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 20.12% and a return on equity of 68.82%. The company had revenue of $5.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.06 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Automatic Data Processing has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.010-11.110 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.43%.

Insider Activity

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.45, for a total transaction of $113,188.35. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,857,706.40. This trade represents a 5.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ADP. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $311.00 to $274.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $306.00 to $244.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $270.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Automatic Data Processing currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $244.29.

Automatic Data Processing Profile

Automatic Data Processing, Inc (ADP) is a global provider of cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and payroll solutions. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey, ADP began as a payroll processing company and has evolved into a diversified provider of workforce management, HR, benefits administration, tax and compliance services, and analytics for employers of all sizes.

ADP’s product portfolio includes payroll processing and tax filing, time and attendance systems, benefits administration, talent management, and HR outsourcing.