Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Stock Position Trimmed by Unigestion Holding SA

Unigestion Holding SA decreased its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,868 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 6,222 shares during the period. Automatic Data Processing makes up about 2.7% of Unigestion Holding SA’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Unigestion Holding SA’s holdings in Automatic Data Processing were worth $46,490,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ADP. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Automatic Data Processing by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 40,731,270 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $11,923,265,000 after acquiring an additional 277,324 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,583,607 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,098,305,000 after purchasing an additional 65,965 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 3,120,039 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $910,972,000 after purchasing an additional 449,431 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Automatic Data Processing by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,321,849 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $679,675,000 after buying an additional 69,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Automatic Data Processing during the fourth quarter worth about $455,993,000. 80.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Christopher D’ambrosio sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,244 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP David Foskett sold 1,067 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.15, for a total value of $305,322.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,756,961. This trade represents a 14.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,368 shares of company stock worth $1,903,541. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ADP. UBS Group boosted their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $318.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $302.30.

Automatic Data Processing Price Performance

Automatic Data Processing stock opened at $286.13 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.74. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 12-month low of $231.27 and a 12-month high of $322.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $304.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $297.15.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $1.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. 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.