Key Points
- Director Steven Sarowitz sold 100 Paylocity shares for $17,023 at an average price of $170.23 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. He still owns approximately 4.35 million shares, so the sale had a negligible impact on his ownership.
- Paylocity recently exceeded earnings expectations, reporting $1.84 in quarterly EPS versus the $1.62 consensus and revenue of $444.73 million, up 11% year over year.
- Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and several firms raising price targets, although valuation and recurring insider sales remain potential risks.
Paylocity Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:PCTY - Get Free Report) Director Steven Sarowitz sold 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.23, for a total transaction of $17,023.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,354,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at $741,312,326.87. This trade represents a 0.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Paylocity Price Performance
Paylocity stock opened at $168.40 on Friday. Paylocity Holding Corporation has a 12 month low of $92.99 and a 12 month high of $178.53. The stock's 50 day moving average is $153.92 and its 200-day moving average is $126.56. 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 company has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.51, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.50.
Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $444.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $431.46 million. Paylocity had a return on equity of 27.02% and a net margin of 15.23%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Paylocity Holding Corporation will post 6.92 EPS for the current year.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Paylocity
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PCTY. Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its position in shares of Paylocity by 5,925.0% during the 1st quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 241 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Paylocity in the second quarter worth $27,000. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Paylocity by 4,250.0% in the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Paylocity by 500.0% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 342 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Paylocity by 58.8% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 451 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 94.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key Paylocity News
Here are the key news stories impacting Paylocity this week:
- Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its price target on Paylocity from $178 to $190 and maintained an “overweight” rating, signaling confidence in continued appreciation. KeyCorp analyst rating
- Positive Sentiment: Other analyst targets also remain supportive. Guggenheim raised its target to $200 with a “buy” rating, while BTIG Research reportedly forecast a $200 target and retained its buy recommendation. The broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with most covering analysts assigning buy ratings.
- Positive Sentiment: Investors are positioning for Paylocity’s upcoming earnings report. A Zacks analysis says the company has factors that could support an earnings beat, building on its latest quarter, when EPS of $1.84 exceeded the $1.62 consensus and revenue increased 11% year over year. Zacks earnings expectations article
- Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership is high at approximately 94.8%, and major investors including BlackRock, Amundi, Van Berkom & Associates, and Deutsche Bank have recently established or expanded positions. This supports institutional interest but does not guarantee near-term buying.
- Negative Sentiment: Director Steven Sarowitz continued selling shares, including 8,900 shares for about $1.5 million on October 27 and 100 shares on October 28. The transactions were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, and the director still owns more than 4.35 million shares, so the ownership reduction is minimal. Nevertheless, the repeated sales could weigh on sentiment. SEC insider transaction filing
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk: Paylocity trades at roughly 34 times earnings, while some analysts have cautioned that the company needs more aggressive monetization to justify its growth expectations.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research firms recently commented on PCTY. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Paylocity from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Paylocity in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Paylocity from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Paylocity from $143.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Paylocity from $168.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $172.82.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Paylocity
Paylocity Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Paylocity Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:PCTY) provides cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and payroll software for organizations. Its platform is designed to help employers manage payroll, human resources, employee benefits, talent acquisition, onboarding, performance, learning, and workforce administration through an integrated system.
The company also offers tools for time and labor management, scheduling, employee communications, engagement, surveys, expense management, and other workplace activities.
Further Reading

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