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Automatic Data Processing (ADP) AI Stock Analysis

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ADP

Automatic Data Processing

(NASDAQ:ADP)

Select Model
Rating:82.95Outperform
Price Target:$341.00â–²(11.31% Upside)
Action:reiterated
Date:10/28/26

ADP scores highly on financial quality (steady growth, resilient margins, and strong free-cash-flow conversion) and is reinforced by a positive earnings update with raised revenue/EPS and client-funds interest outlooks. Technicals also support the score with a clear uptrend. The main offset is valuation at a premium multiple and execution risks around modest margin/retention pressure and PEO-related uncertainty.

Positive Factors
Scale and Workforce DataADP’s large client and workforce footprint supports recurring transaction volumes, broad industry reach, and substantial workforce data resources. This scale can reinforce product development, cross-selling, implementation expertise, and customer retention across its HCM platform over time.
Negative Factors
Retention PressureA projected decline in Employer Services retention is a durable concern because payroll and HCM economics depend on recurring client relationships. Even modest retention erosion can increase replacement selling requirements and constrain the compounding effect of the installed base.

Automatic Data Processing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Revenue by SegmentBreaks down revenue across ADP’s business lines (for example payroll processing, HR outsourcing/PEO, benefits administration and related services), showing which units drive growth and profitability. Investors can use this to spot where growth is coming from, which segments carry higher margins, and whether the company’s strategy is shifting toward more valuable services.

-$2.00B$0.00$2.00B$4.00B$6.00BMar 21Jun 21Sep 21Dec 21Mar 22Jun 22Sep 22Dec 22Mar 23Jun 23Sep 23Dec 23Mar 24Jun 24Sep 24Dec 24Mar 25Jun 25Sep 25Dec 25Mar 26Jun 26Sep 26
Chart Insights

Employer Services is clearly the growth engine — steady, seasonal expansion underpinned by record bookings, Lyric enterprise wins and rapid AI adoption that should sustain cross‑sell and margin upside; management’s FY27 5–6% ES guidance assumes only modest retention slip and flat pays‑per‑control, so growth is durable but not accelerating. PEO revenue is rising too, yet an increasing mix of zero‑margin pass‑throughs masks weaker underlying growth and will continue to pressure PEO margins. 'Other' remains a tiny, stable drag. Key watch: pass‑through mix, ES retention and client‑fund yield.

Data provided by:The Fly

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-30%-20%-10%0%10%20%30%ADP+24.56%SPY+14.28%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$120.94B
Dividend Yield
2.22%
Average Volume (3M)
2.16M
Price to Earnings (P/E)
27.1
Beta (1Y)
0.43
Revenue Growth
6.50%
EPS Growth
11.10%
Country
US
Employees
67,000
Sector
Technology
Sector Strength
61
Industry
Software - Application

Automatic Data Processing Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) is a global provider of cloud-based solutions designed for human capital management (HCM). The company organizes its operations into two primary segments: Employer Services and Professional Employer Organization...

How the Company Makes Money

ADP primarily makes money by charging employers recurring fees to run payroll and access HCM software and managed HR services. A major revenue stream comes from its Employer Services segment, which includes payroll processing (calculating pay, produc...

Automatic Data Processing Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Oct 28, 2026(Q1-2027)|% Change Since:4.52%|Next Earnings Date:Jan 27, 2027
Earnings Call SentimentPositive

The call was strongly positive. ADP delivered better-than-expected first-quarter revenue, margin, and EPS growth; raised consolidated revenue, client funds interest, pays per control, and adjusted EPS outlooks; and reported continued momentum in AI adoption, productivity, bookings, Lyric, embedded payroll, and PEO worksite employee growth. The main challenges were a softer start in global offerings, foreign-exchange headwinds, expected Employer Services retention pressure, flat PEO margins, and continued uncertainty around PEO SUI-related items, but these did not outweigh the broad operating and financial progress.

Positive Updates

Strong First-Quarter Financial Performance
ADP reported first-quarter revenue growth of 6%, adjusted EBIT margin expansion of 130 basis points, and adjusted EPS growth of 13%, with all three metrics exceeding expectations.

Negative Updates

Softer Start for Global Offerings
Employer Services experienced a softer start for its global offerings after a strong finish in fiscal 2026, although management said overall pipelines remain in good shape and maintained full-year Employer Services growth guidance of 4% to 7%.

Company Guidance

For fiscal 27, ADP maintained Employer Services revenue growth guidance of 4% to 7% for new business bookings, a 10 to 30 basis point decline in full year retention, and forecast pays per control growth of around 1%; it raised average client funds balances growth to a range of 4% to 5%, forecast a fiscal 27 average yield on its client funds portfolio of about 3.8%, and increased client funds interest revenue by $50 million to a range of $1.59 billion to $1.61 billion, while raising the net impact from its extended investment strategy by $45 million to the same range. ADP now expects fiscal 27 Employer Services revenue growth of about 6%, including close to half a point of FX headwind FY 27, total PEO revenues to grow by 5% to 7%, PEO revenue excluding zero margin pass throughs to grow by 3% to 5%, and average worksite employee growth of about 2%. Consolidated revenue guidance was increased to about 6% growth, while adjusted EBIT margin expansion remained at 70 to 90 basis points, the effective tax rate remained around 23%, and adjusted EPS growth was forecast at 10% to 12%.

Automatic Data Processing Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Strong, consistent fundamentals: revenue growth to ~$22.3B TTM, durable profitability (TTM gross margin ~48%, net margin ~20%), and robust cash generation (TTM FCF ~$5.0B; ~94% of net income). Balance sheet is manageable with improved leverage (~0.87 debt-to-equity), though returns are partly amplified by a relatively thin equity base and there is modest margin/FCF growth normalization.

Income Statement

86Very Positive

Balance Sheet

72Positive

Cash Flow

83Very Positive
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMJun 2026Jun 2025Jun 2024Jun 2023Jun 2022
Income Statement
Total Revenue22.26B21.95B20.56B19.20B18.01B16.50B
Gross Profit11.14B10.58B10.45B9.59B8.81B7.73B
EBITDA6.62B6.45B6.24B5.80B5.24B4.41B
Net Income4.53B4.41B4.08B3.75B3.41B2.95B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets63.45B63.19B53.37B54.36B50.97B63.07B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments3.28B4.23B7.85B3.30B2.10B1.48B
Total Debt5.47B5.27B9.07B3.71B3.44B3.49B
Total Liabilities58.36B57.16B47.18B49.82B47.46B59.84B
Stockholders Equity5.09B6.03B6.19B4.55B3.51B3.23B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow4.98B5.24B4.77B3.59B3.64B2.55B
Operating Cash Flow5.33B5.44B4.94B4.16B4.21B3.10B
Investing Cash Flow-3.73B-4.71B-3.04B-1.39B-2.52B-7.01B
Financing Cash Flow4.40B4.88B-6.97B-1.43B-15.68B13.65B

Automatic Data Processing Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentPositive
Last Price306.36

Price Trends

50DMA280.10Positive
100DMA268.37Positive
200DMA239.99Positive

Market Momentum

MACD7.47Negative
RSI63.94Neutral
STOCH74.62Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ADP, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 306.36 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 297.16, above the 50-day MA of 280.10, and above the 200-day MA of 239.99, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 7.47 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 63.94 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 74.62 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ADP.

Automatic Data Processing Risk Analysis

Automatic Data Processing disclosed 1 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Automatic Data Processing reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.

Higher RiskSector Avg.Lower RiskFinance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Legal & Regulatory - Litigation, compliance, new legislation, and taxation risks

Latest Risks Added

1 New Risk
1.operations, financial condition, results of operations and competitive positionQ2, 2024

Automatic Data Processing Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)

Financial Indicators

ADP against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
ADPADP83Outperform$120.58B27.0975.85%2.22%6.50%11.10%
WDAYWDAY80Outperform$45.52B38.6216.78%―13.83%126.19%
PCTYPCTY79Outperform$9.30B34.5624.03%―10.63%28.37%
PAYCPAYC78Outperform$10.72B23.1853.39%0.62%9.49%29.42%
BILLBILL73Outperform$4.62B90.071.44%―7.42%430.42%
INTUINTU73Outperform$90.98B20.7323.42%1.45%13.90%19.57%
Sector *61Neutral$37.18B12.37-10.20%1.83%8.50%-7.62%

* Technology Sector Average

Performance Comparison

-50%0%50%ADPINTUWDAYPAYCPCTYBILLDec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
ADP and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
ADPAutomatic Data Processing306.3658.9323.82%
INTUIntuit Inc.342.64-298.43-46.55%
WDAYWorkday191.16-32.33-14.47%
PAYCPaycom Software242.6679.5448.76%
PCTYPaylocity Holding180.0431.7421.40%
BILLBILL Holdings, Inc.54.434.328.62%
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Oct 28, 2026