TICKERNERD
Menu
PAYXPAYXTechnology · Software - Application

PAYX Stock Forecast: Paychex, Inc. Price Predictions for 2026-2027

Last close, 14 Aug 2026
$122
−2.70% on the day

The 18 Wall Street analysts covering Paychex, Inc. hold a median 12-month price target of $106 — -13.1% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 89 of 100 as at 15 Aug 2026 — inside the top quartile. The factors read stronger than the Street's target implies. That gap is the story on this page.

Market cap
$43.4B
Ticker Nerd rank
89 / 100
Median analyst target
$106
Analysts covering
18
Total return, dividends reinvested
1W
+1.6%
1M
+12.6%
YTD
+12.4%
1Y
−7.5%
From 52W high
−9.6%
From 52W low
+45.9%
$84
$135
52-week range, adjusted closes · the dot is the last close
Ticker Nerd rank

PAYX stock analysis: one number for the whole business

Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores Paychex, Inc. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.

Where the model ranks itAs at 15 Aug 2026
89 / 100

Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested

Volatility
100
Issuance
93
Revisions
82
Quality
77
Growth
73
Accruals
70
Value
67
Momentum
48
Size
6

Volatility (100): The share price has been relatively steady.

Momentum (48): The shares have been drifting down relative to others.

Size (6): Larger than most of the companies we track — more scrutinised, less often mispriced.

Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs quant trader with fourteen years in markets.

Wall Street

PAYX stock forecast 2026-2027: analyst price targets & predictions

The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on PAYX, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.

Share price and the analyst range, 12 monthsAdjusted close, US dollars
$80$100$120$140$160Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26PAYXHigh $150Median $106Low $95

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

What Wall Street says18 analysts
2 Buy12 Hold4 Sell
Low $95Median $106High $150

The green dot is the last close — the median target sits −13.1% from it.

Recent analyst actionsNewest first

Of the 20 most recent actions, 5 moved their price target up and 1 moved it down.

DateFirmActionRatingTarget
13 Aug 2026JefferiesMaintainsHold$105 → $120
30 July 2026CitigroupMaintainsBuy$140 → $150
22 July 2026UBSMaintainsNeutral$105 → $115
22 July 2026UBSMaintainsNeutral—
30 June 2026Morgan StanleyMaintainsEqual-Weight$107 → $109
30 June 2026Morgan StanleyMaintainsEqual-Weight—
25 June 2026JP MorganMaintainsUnderweight$100 → $105
25 June 2026JP MorganMaintainsUnderweight—
25 June 2026UBSMaintainsNeutral$100 → $98
25 June 2026UBSMaintainsNeutral—
17 June 2026StifelMaintainsHold—
15 June 2026CitigroupUpgradeBuy—
8 June 2026TD CowenMaintainsHold—
13 Apr 2026UBSMaintainsNeutral—
26 Mar 2026BairdMaintainsNeutral—
26 Mar 2026CitigroupMaintainsNeutral—
26 Mar 2026JP MorganMaintainsUnderweight—
26 Mar 2026TD CowenMaintainsHold—
26 Mar 2026Wells FargoMaintainsUnderweight—
19 Mar 2026GuggenheimInitiatesNeutral—

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Market Radar

This page is one stock. Monday covers all of them.

Computed off the Friday close and sent before the US open.

Market Radar reports the week’s largest rank changes across roughly 4,600 US stocks, the factor behind each one, and where the market went. PAYX appears on the weeks it earns a place.

Free, every Monday. Unsubscribe any time.

Estimates

PAYX analyst estimate revisions

Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.

Which way the estimates are movingNext fiscal year
EPS revision, 90 days
+1.4%
Analysts raising
16
Analysts cutting
1
Fundamentals

Paychex, Inc. (PAYX) financial data

A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.

Valuation
Trailing P/E
25.6×

Cheaper than 31% of US stocks

Price / sales
10.9×

Cheaper than 14% of US stocks

Price / book
11.6×

Cheaper than 9% of US stocks

EV / EBITDA
29.2×

Cheaper than 10% of US stocks

Growth & margins
Revenue growth (YoY)
12.5%

Higher than 58% of US stocks

Earnings growth (YoY)
41.5%

Higher than 72% of US stocks

Gross margin
74.0%

Higher than 86% of US stocks

Operating margin
38.3%

Higher than 91% of US stocks

Net margin
26.6%

Higher than 87% of US stocks

Returns & dividend
Return on equity
47.1%

Higher than 92% of US stocks

Return on assets
10.9%

Higher than 93% of US stocks

Dividend yield
3.9%

Higher than 76% of US dividend payers

Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.

Peers

PAYX vs competitors

The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.

Its peer group, ranked by the same modelSoftware - Application
CompanyMarket capTKN rank
PAYXPaychex, Inc.$43.4B
89
TEAMAtlassian Corp.$42.7B
76
ROPRoper Technologies, Inc.$40.3B
63
WDAYWorkday, Inc.$49.6B
80
ADSKAutodesk, Inc.$53.4B
82
MSTRStrategy, Inc.$35.7B
23
ZMZoom Communications, Inc.$31.2B
87

Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.

The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own Paychex, Inc. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →

News

Latest PAYX news & analysis

Navigating Market Turbulence: 6 Top Stocks For Balancing Stability And Growth

Seeking Alpha · 13 Aug 2026positive

Amid whipsawing Wall Street sentiment, S&P 500 earnings are still projected to grow more than 30% this year despite geopolitical tensions, inflation, and midterm uncertainty. The article highlights a barbell strategy—combining income generation with opportunistic growth—and names top stocks for balancing stability and growth in the current market.

Why it matters — The piece identifies Paychex among stocks positioned to deliver stability through income generation, offering exposure to downside protection amid market turbulence.

ManpowerGroup Elects John B. Gibson Jr. to Board of Directors

PRNewsWire · 11 Aug 2026positive

Paychex President and CEO John B. Gibson Jr. has been elected to the board of directors of ManpowerGroup.

Why it matters — This appointment expands Gibson's corporate governance role beyond Paychex, reflecting his standing as a leader in the workforce and HR services industry.

U.S. Small Business Employment Landscape Remains Steady

GlobeNewsWire · 4 Aug 2026neutral

The Paychex Small Business Employment Watch reported a July small business jobs index of 99.23, steady and slightly above the 99.20 average for the first half of the year, indicating a steady employment environment among businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Why it matters — The report is based on Paychex client data, so its reading of small business hiring trends offers PAYX watchers a direct gauge of activity in the company's core market.

Paychex Expands WISE to Deliver Workforce Intelligence Across Business Tools

GlobeNewsWire · 3 Aug 2026positive

Paychex has expanded its AI-powered workforce intelligence engine, WISE, to be available within Microsoft 365 Copilot and Teams, marking the first step in the company's broader channel-agnostic ecosystem strategy.

Why it matters — This expansion extends Paychex's HCM capabilities beyond its own software into widely used collaboration and productivity tools, potentially broadening its reach and integration with existing business workflows.

Why Is Paychex (PAYX) Up 14.4% Since Last Earnings Report?

Zacks Investment Research · 24 July 2026positive

Paychex reported earnings 30 days ago, and its stock has risen 14.4% since that report. The article examines what might be ahead for the company.

Why it matters — A 14.4% post-earnings move is notable for a mature payroll and HR services firm, making the outlook especially relevant for shareholders monitoring the company's momentum.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about PAYX stock

What is the PAYX stock price forecast for 2026-2027?

The 18 Wall Street analysts covering Paychex, Inc. have a median 12-month price target of $106, with estimates ranging from $95 to $150. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Is PAYX stock a buy right now?

Of the 18 analysts covering Paychex, Inc., 2 rate it a Buy, 12 a Hold and 4 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks Paychex, Inc. 89 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 15 Aug 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.

How does Ticker Nerd's model rank PAYX?

As at 15 Aug 2026, Paychex, Inc. ranks 89 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Volatility (100 of 100).

Will PAYX stock go up?

No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 18 analysts implies -13.1% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Paychex, Inc. 89 out of 100 as at 15 Aug 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.

What is the PAYX stock forecast for 2030?

No analyst covering Paychex, Inc. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for PAYX are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business. The furthest attributed numbers are the current analyst targets: $95 to $150 over the next 12 months.

How has PAYX stock performed over the past year?

Paychex, Inc. returned -7.5% over the 12 months to 14 Aug 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.

What does Paychex, Inc. do?

Paychex Inc. is a leading provider of human capital management solutions for small and medium-sized businesses.

What is the latest news on PAYX?

The most recent item we track (Seeking Alpha, 13 Aug 2026): "Navigating Market Turbulence: 6 Top Stocks For Balancing Stability And Growth". Amid whipsawing Wall Street sentiment, S&P 500 earnings are still projected to grow more than 30% this year despite geopolitical tensions, inflation, and midterm uncertainty. The article highlights a barbell strategy—combining income generation with opportunistic growth—and names top stocks for balancing stability and growth in the current market.

Company

About Paychex, Inc.

Paychex Inc. is a leading provider of human capital management solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. The company focuses on payroll processing, human resources outsourcing, benefits administration, and compliance services, helping employers manage complex workforce and regulatory requirements. Its platform supports functions such as time and attendance tracking, tax administration, retirement services, and insurance solutions, integrating these into a unified offering that simplifies HR operations. Paychex Inc. serves a broad range of industries across the United States and selected international markets, working with businesses that seek to streamline administrative tasks and improve workforce management efficiency. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Paychex Inc. plays a significant role in the HR and payroll services market, acting as a critical intermediary between employers, employees, and government agencies by facilitating accurate payments, filings, and benefits delivery.

CEO Mr. John B. Gibson Jr. · 17,600 employees · United States · https://www.paychex.com