OFI Invest Asset Management Grows Stock Position in Paychex, Inc. $PAYX

OFI Invest Asset Management lifted its stake in Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) by 16,122.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 145,517 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 144,620 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management’s holdings in Paychex were worth $16,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Paychex by 3.3% during the second quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Paychex by 0.3% during the third quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 32,964 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,179,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Suncoast Equity Management lifted its stake in shares of Paychex by 0.6% during the third quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 14,055 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,782,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. 44 Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Paychex by 2.7% during the second quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,290 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Paychex by 3.5% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,645 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. 83.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on PAYX. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Paychex from $123.00 to $107.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Paychex from $125.00 to $102.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Paychex from $148.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Wolfe Research lowered their price objective on shares of Paychex from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Paychex from $125.00 to $100.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $108.75.

Key Paychex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Paychex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised some medium‑term and near‑term forecasts — including Q1 2027 to $1.31, Q1 2028 to $1.54, FY2026 to $5.50 and FY2027 to $5.89 — which suggests upside to Paychex’s longer‑run earnings trajectory and provides some offset to weaker quarters.
• Neutral Sentiment: Standalone comparative pieces (e.g., head‑to‑head analysis with Cellebrite) are informational but not likely to move the stock materially by themselves. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed Q2 estimates — Q2 2027 to $1.35 (from $1.37) and Q2 2028 to $1.45 (from $1.52) — signaling softer near‑term profitability that can pressure the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen lowered its price target slightly to $94 and kept a “hold” rating, reducing near‑term upside expectations. MarketScreener
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage summarized as a consensus “Reduce” rating adds to negative analyst sentiment and could reinforce selling pressure. Article Title

Paychex Stock Down 1.9%

PAYX opened at $89.89 on Thursday. Paychex, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $86.89 and a fifty-two week high of $161.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a fifty day moving average of $94.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80 and a beta of 0.88.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The business services provider reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. Paychex had a net margin of 25.84% and a return on equity of 48.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Paychex, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Paychex Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were paid a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Paychex’s payout ratio is currently 95.15%.

Paychex announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, January 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Paychex Company Profile

Paychex, Inc, founded in 1971 by B. Thomas “Tom” Golisano and headquartered in Rochester, New York, is a provider of payroll, human resources, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses. The company’s core services include payroll processing and tax filing, employee benefits administration, retirement services, and workers’ compensation administration, designed to simplify back-office operations and help clients comply with regulatory and tax requirements.

Paychex offers an integrated technology platform, marketed under the Paychex Flex brand, which delivers cloud-based payroll, HR, time and attendance, and reporting tools.