Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 16.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,311 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,413 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Paychex were worth $2,427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Paychex by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,710 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $801,000 after buying an additional 1,190 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Paychex by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 3,923 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $550,000 after acquiring an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Paychex in the fourth quarter worth approximately $314,000. Donoghue Forlines LLC grew its holdings in Paychex by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC now owns 10,885 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,526,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Paychex by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 2,881 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 83.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Paychex Price Performance

NASDAQ:PAYX opened at $146.11 on Friday. Paychex, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.72 and a 12-month high of $150.71. The firm has a market cap of $52.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50-day moving average is $142.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.02. Paychex had a net margin of 32.02% and a return on equity of 45.28%. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

Paychex Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. Paychex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on PAYX shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Paychex from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Paychex from $125.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Paychex from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on Paychex from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Paychex from $122.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $132.23.

About Paychex

Paychex, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated human capital management solutions (HCM) for payroll, benefits, human resources (HR), and insurance services for small to medium-sized businesses in the United States, Europe, and India. It offers payroll processing services; payroll tax administration services; employee payment services; and regulatory compliance services, such as new-hire reporting and garnishment processing.