Paychex, Inc. $PAYX Stock Holdings Decreased by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jun 17th, 2026

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX – Free Report) by 36.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 35,996 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Paychex were worth $7,072,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Paychex during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in Paychex by 957.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 296 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new position in Paychex during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Paychex during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in Paychex during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 83.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Paychex Price Performance

Shares of Paychex stock opened at $100.28 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Paychex, Inc. has a 1-year low of $85.45 and a 1-year high of $154.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09 and a beta of 0.84.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 25th. The business services provider reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.04. Paychex had a net margin of 25.84% and a return on equity of 48.52%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. Paychex’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Paychex, Inc. will post 5.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Paychex Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were paid a $1.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. This is a positive change from Paychex’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.08. This represents a $4.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Paychex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on PAYX shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Paychex to $52.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Argus raised shares of Paychex to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Paychex from $125.00 to $100.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Paychex in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Paychex from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $99.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.19.

Read Our Latest Report on PAYX

Paychex Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.