Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Position Reduced by Van Strum & Towne Inc.

Van Strum & Towne Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,880 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,618 shares during the quarter. Automatic Data Processing makes up approximately 0.0% of Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $15,187,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ADP. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 346.5% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. 80.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ADP. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped 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 report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $296.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 473 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.20, for a total value of $144,832.60. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,218,112.80. This trade represents a 6.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 362 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.83, for a total value of $106,366.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 13,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,027,233.98. This represents a 2.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,951 shares of company stock valued at $1,762,074 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ADP opened at $291.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $302.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $294.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 80.86% and a net margin of 19.76%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $1.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. Automatic Data Processing’s payout ratio is currently 64.23%.

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.