Paycom Software, Inc. (NYSE:PAYC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Paycom Software, Inc. (NYSE:PAYC) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $212.80.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on PAYC shares. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Paycom Software from $193.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Paycom Software from $229.00 to $221.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Paycom Software from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Paycom Software in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Paycom Software from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

Paycom Software Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE PAYC opened at $202.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.61 billion, a PE ratio of 22.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.14. Paycom Software has a 12-month low of $139.50 and a 12-month high of $242.74. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $208.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $198.97.

Paycom Software (NYSE:PAYC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The software maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.03. Paycom Software had a net margin of 26.66% and a return on equity of 33.53%. On average, equities analysts predict that Paycom Software will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Paycom Software Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. Paycom Software’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.22, for a total value of $109,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,686,840.60. This trade represents a 6.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Randall Peck sold 3,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.19, for a total transaction of $763,884.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 50,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,750,606.35. This trade represents a 6.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Paycom Software

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of PAYC. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Paycom Software by 9.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 65,809 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $10,962,000 after purchasing an additional 5,574 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc raised its stake in Paycom Software by 36.2% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 17,327 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $2,886,000 after purchasing an additional 4,601 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Paycom Software in the third quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Paycom Software in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,186,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in Paycom Software by 219.9% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 18,733 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $3,120,000 after purchasing an additional 12,877 shares in the last quarter. 87.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Paycom Software Company Profile

Paycom Software, Inc provides cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solution delivered as software-as-a-service for small to mid-sized companies in the United States. It offers functionality and data analytics that businesses need to manage the employment life cycle from recruitment to retirement.