Paychex (PAYX)
NASDAQIndustrialsStaffing & Employment ServicesSnapshot 2026-11-05
$119.50+0.67%
Close 2026-11-05 · 1-day change
NASDAQIndustrialsStaffing & Employment ServicesSnapshot 2026-11-05
Research Workspace
Put PAYX beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Industrials is in expansion. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar under pressure — Achieve 5% to 6% revenue growth in fiscal 2027: Revenue growth: 5.88%.
View ThesisRevenue growth is accelerating — up about 14% over the past year.
View GrowthRanks among the strongest in its industry on quality — around the top 17%.
View QualityManagement screens strong on capital allocation, earnings delivery, margins, market reaction to earnings.
View ManagementExpectations look high — the market is pricing in about 18% growth a year, above the roughly 6% analysts expect, leaving little room for error.
View ValuationThis stock is volatile — it swings about 1% on a typical day and fell roughly 26% in its worst 12-month stretch.
View RiskPaychex's payroll and PEO growth must keep compounding to justify the price. Revenue grew 6% in the latest quarter, down from 20% a year ago. The company beat its earnings estimate by 0.8%. It trades at 21 times earnings versus a 23 times peer median. The price reflects less growth than our forecast. The primary pillar is under pressure. Revenue growth of 5.88% is near the 5% to 6% target. Peer multiples imply a price about 16% below where it trades. The thesis is on watch. This read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-11-05. PAYX is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 19 analysts currently covering PAYX (as of Nov 2026).
Based on 6 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for PAYX in the last 4 months.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAYX Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 13 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-11-05. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Human Resource & Employment Services — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Compare the value case
Put PAYX next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Advances: Return capital to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases
Earnings beat and shareholder payments align with capital allocation goals.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-11-05. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $119.50
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $119.50.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Top 10% on quality vs scored peers
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.
Lower growth outlook may hinder EPS growth targets.
Threatens: Return capital to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases
Concerns about dividend safety may impact capital allocation.
Threatens: Grow adjusted diluted EPS by 7% to 9% in fiscal 2027
Concerns about revenue growth could hinder EPS growth objectives.
Earnings miss raises concerns about future growth.
Advances: Grow PEO and Insurance Solutions revenue by 6% to 8%
Revised growth aligns with management's revenue targets.
Unchanged guidance raises concerns about growth.
Fiscal Q1 results indicate potential growth slowdown.
