Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Shares Acquired by Global X Japan Co. Ltd.

Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,797 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,170 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $877,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors boosted its position in Automatic Data Processing by 83.2% in the 3rd quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 4,440 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after buying an additional 2,017 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 19,941 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 78.5% in the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 6.6% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,747 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,057,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Automatic Data Processing stock opened at $308.97 on Friday. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12 month low of $231.27 and a 12 month high of $311.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $297.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $285.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $125.89 billion, a PE ratio of 32.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.79.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a net margin of 19.76% and a return on equity of 80.86%. Research analysts predict that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $1.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. Automatic Data Processing’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Automatic Data Processing news, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 362 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.83, for a total transaction of $106,366.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 13,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,027,233.98. The trade was a 2.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP David Foskett sold 1,067 shares of Automatic Data Processing stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.15, for a total transaction of $305,322.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,756,961. This trade represents a 14.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,478 shares of company stock valued at $1,617,241. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ADP. UBS Group lifted their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $270.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated 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. StockNews.com cut Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $281.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Two investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $293.55.

Automatic Data Processing Company 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.