2,417 Shares in Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) Acquired by Littlejohn Financial Services Inc.

Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,417 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $708,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Values Added Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Values Added Financial LLC now owns 1,788 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $523,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. IMS Capital Management increased its stake in Automatic Data Processing by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. IMS Capital Management now owns 9,417 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,757,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 163,834 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $48,524,000 after purchasing an additional 1,547 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 2,543 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MGB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Automatic Data Processing by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,573 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,046,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.03% of the company’s stock.

Automatic Data Processing Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ ADP opened at $310.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a 1 year low of $231.27 and a 1 year high of $311.67. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $297.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $287.85. The firm has a market cap of $126.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.79.

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.05. Automatic Data Processing had a return on equity of 80.86% and a net margin of 19.76%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Automatic Data Processing, Inc. will post 9.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Automatic Data Processing Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $1.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 64.23%.

Insider Activity at Automatic Data Processing

In related news, CEO Maria Black sold 721 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.59, for a total value of $210,236.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 68,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,077,721.04. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian L. Michaud sold 362 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,027,233.98. This represents a 2.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,478 shares of company stock valued at $1,617,241 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on ADP. StockNews.com lowered shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing from $270.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Automatic Data Processing from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.