Key Points
- Director Steven Sarowitz sold 441 Paylocity shares for approximately $68,355 at an average price of $155 under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sale reduced his ownership by just 0.01%, leaving him with nearly 4.47 million shares.
- Paylocity exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.84 EPS versus the $1.62 consensus and revenue of $444.73 million, up 11% year over year. Analysts project $6.86 in full-year EPS.
- Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 12 Buy ratings and five Holds, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $160.53 versus the stock’s $152.04 opening price.
Paylocity Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:PCTY - Get Free Report) Director Steven Sarowitz sold 441 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $68,355.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,472,954 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $693,307,870. The trade was a 0.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Paylocity Stock Down 0.1%
PCTY stock opened at $152.04 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.07 billion, a PE ratio of 30.72 and a beta of 0.48. Paylocity Holding Corporation has a 1-year low of $92.99 and a 1-year high of $181.97. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $129.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.64.
Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.22. Paylocity had a return on equity of 27.02% and a net margin of 15.23%.The business had revenue of $444.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $431.46 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Paylocity Holding Corporation will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages recently commented on PCTY. Raymond James Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Paylocity in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Paylocity in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on Paylocity from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Paylocity from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on Paylocity from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $160.53.
Read Our Latest Report on PCTY
Key Headlines Impacting Paylocity
Here are the key news stories impacting Paylocity this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $6.33 from $5.98 and its FY2028 forecast to $7.18 from $6.67. The firm also increased estimates for Q1 and Q2 2027 and Q3 2028, indicating improved expectations for Paylocity’s earnings growth. Zacks additionally initiated a FY2029 EPS estimate of $8.28. Paylocity analyst coverage
- Positive Sentiment: Paylocity’s partnership with HireQuotient received customer validation: Alliance Building Services reportedly reduced manual recruiting work by 70% and cut time-to-hire by more than half using HireQuotient’s AI-native recruiting platform. The example supports the value of Paylocity’s partner ecosystem and integrated human-capital software offering. HireQuotient Alliance Building Services announcement
- Neutral Sentiment: The estimate changes were not uniformly positive. Zacks trimmed its Q2 2028 EPS forecast slightly to $1.57 from $1.58 and reduced Q4 2027 to $1.39 from $1.43, while maintaining a “Hold” rating. The current-year consensus remains $6.86 per share.
- Neutral Sentiment: Director Steven I. Sarowitz sold 441 shares for approximately $68,355 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale represented only 0.01% of his ownership, leaving him with nearly 4.47 million shares, so it is unlikely to materially affect investor sentiment. SEC insider transaction filing
- Negative Sentiment: The modest downward revisions for select future quarters introduce some uncertainty around the pace and timing of earnings growth, particularly given Paylocity’s elevated valuation relative to its historical trading range.
Institutional Trading of Paylocity
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Paylocity by 5.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 136,388 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $25,551,000 after purchasing an additional 7,594 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Paylocity by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,365 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Paylocity by 537.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 465 shares of the software maker's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Paylocity by 2,782.7% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 35,688 shares of the software maker's stock worth $6,466,000 after buying an additional 34,450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Paylocity by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 19,241 shares of the software maker's stock worth $3,486,000 after buying an additional 1,749 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.76% of the company's stock.
Paylocity Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Paylocity (NASDAQ: PCTY) is a leading provider of cloud-based payroll and human capital management (HCM) software designed to streamline workforce administration for mid-sized organizations. The company's integrated platform automates core functions such as payroll processing, benefits administration, time and labor tracking, and compliance management, enabling employers to manage employee data more efficiently and reduce administrative burdens.
In addition to payroll and HR capabilities, Paylocity offers talent management solutions including recruiting, onboarding, performance tracking, and learning management.
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