Q3 2026 Earnings Estimate for Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) Issued By Zacks Research

Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Paychex in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, April 16th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the business services provider will earn $1.44 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.46. The consensus estimate for Paychex’s current full-year earnings is $4.71 per share.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Paychex in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Bank of America raised their target price on Paychex from $108.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Paychex from $134.00 to $126.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 22nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on Paychex from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Paychex from $126.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Paychex presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.00.

Paychex Stock Down 1.7 %

PAYX opened at $119.14 on Thursday. Paychex has a 12 month low of $104.09 and a 12 month high of $129.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market cap of $42.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $122.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.16.

Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 2nd. The business services provider reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.01. Paychex had a return on equity of 46.14% and a net margin of 31.86%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Paychex declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, January 19th that allows the company to repurchase $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to purchase up to 0.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Paychex

In related news, VP Mark Anthony Bottini sold 15,481 shares of Paychex stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.53, for a total transaction of $1,865,924.93. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 82,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,966,625.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 11.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Paychex

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PAYX. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Paychex in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Paychex in the third quarter worth about $28,000. West Tower Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Paychex by 112.8% in the fourth quarter. West Tower Group LLC now owns 232 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Paychex by 91.5% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 272 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Paychex in the third quarter worth about $34,000. 83.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Paychex

Paychex, Inc provides integrated human capital management solutions for human resources (HR), payroll, benefits, and insurance services for small to medium-sized businesses in the United States, Europe, and India. It offers payroll processing services; payroll tax administration services; employee payment services; and regulatory compliance services, such as new-hire reporting and garnishment processing.