Where it trades today
trading 66% of the way up its 52-week range
How the price has moved
What to weigh before acting
What Matters Now
- Order-book quality, backlog conversion, and operating leverage usually tell you more than a single quarter of revenue growth.
- PAYX trades at 23.8x earnings, well above the industrials average of 18.5x, so the market is already pricing in above-consensus execution.
- PAYX carries a beta of 0.81, which means the stock should be judged on how it affects total portfolio swings, not just on standalone upside.
- Relative performance versus CAT, HON matters here because leadership inside industrials rarely stays static for long.
Portfolio Use Case
- PAYX is more relevant for investors who want some income support alongside price appreciation, not just pure growth exposure.
- The beta profile suggests it can fit a quality or lower-volatility sleeve more naturally than a high-octane tactical basket.
- This page is most useful for deciding whether the stock deserves a permanent slot in the portfolio or just a place on the watchlist.
What Would Change the View
- A reset in earnings expectations or a faster peer catch-up could compress the premium valuation currently embedded in PAYX.
- Volatility is already above the sector norm, so even a correct long-term thesis can be painful if the position size is too aggressive.
- The view would need revisiting if peers such as CAT, HON start winning the marginal flow or posting cleaner operating momentum.
Methodology
- Price, market cap, beta, yield, and liquidity fields for PAYX come from Yahoo Finance quote and summary data.
- 30-day volatility is calculated from recent daily returns and annualized using a 252-trading-day convention.
- Sector context uses stored benchmark averages for Industrials so each page compares the ticker against a stable peer baseline rather than against the whole market.
- Peer comparisons use the Portfolio Terminal coverage set and highlight nearby listed alternatives such as CAT, HON.
Sources
- Yahoo Finance quote dataopen →
Live quote, valuation, beta, yield, and volume fields used for PAYX. Last refresh: Sep 18, 2026, 10:56 PM.
- Portfolio Terminal methodologyopen →
Explains how analytics, refresh cadence, and portfolio interpretation work across the product.
- Peer set and coverage context
Comparative context for this page is anchored around nearby tracked names such as CAT, HON.
What Paychex Inc. does
Paychex, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides human capital management solutions (HCM) for human resources, payroll processing, employee benefits, and insurance services for small to medium-sized businesses in the United States, Europe, Canada, India, and Israel. It offers technology and advisory solutions; and payroll tax administration services. The company also provides retirement solutions, such as plan implementation, ongoing compliance with government regulations, employee and employer reporting, participant and employer online access, electronic funds transfer, and other administrative services; HCM solutions from recruiting and hiring to retirement; and talent management…
What analysts expect
PAYX carries a hold consensus from 14 analysts, with an average price target of $121.00 versus $116.14 today (+4.2%). Targets are estimates and can move quickly after earnings.
Consensus aggregated by Yahoo Finance. Targets are estimates, not forecasts.
How the business is doing
PAYX generated $6.51B in trailing revenue (12.5% year over year), with a 27.0% net margin, and $2.10B of free cash flow, against $3.49B of net debt.
The numbers, year by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Gross profit | Operating income | Net income | EPS | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $6.51B | $4.84B | $2.51B | $1.76B | $4.90 | $2.32B |
| 2025 | $5.57B | $4.03B | $2.21B | $1.66B | $4.60 | $1.71B |
| 2024 | $5.28B | $3.80B | $2.17B | $1.69B | $4.69 | $1.74B |
| 2023 | $5.01B | $3.55B | $2.03B | $1.56B | $4.32 | $1.56B |
When it reports next
Estimates aggregated by Yahoo Finance. Dates move and estimates change until the report lands.
How it sits in industrials
Manufacturing, aerospace, defense, and infrastructure companies.
The companies it competes with
PAYX beside the industrials names it is usually measured against.
What the chart is saying
Paychex Inc. trades at $116.14, 12.0% below its 52-week high. With a beta of 0.81, it shows about average sensitivity to what the wider market does.
Questions people ask about it
Is PAYX a good buy right now?
Paychex Inc. trades at 23.8x earnings. This is near market average. Current risk level is Medium based on 23.5% volatility.
Does PAYX pay dividends?
Yes, Paychex Inc. offers a dividend yield of 4.09%. That is roughly $4.75 per share a year.
How volatile is PAYX?
With 30-day annualized volatility of 23.5% and beta of 0.81, PAYX is classified as Medium risk. The stock tends to be more stable than the market average.
What is the analyst price target for PAYX?
The average analyst price target for Paychex Inc. (PAYX) is $121.00 based on 14 analyst estimates, about 4.2% above the current price of $116.14. The published range runs from $105.00 to $150.00.
How much revenue does PAYX generate?
Paychex Inc. reported $6.51B in trailing twelve-month revenue. Revenue growth is running at 12.5% year over year. Net margin sits at 27.0%. Figures are aggregated from company filings by Yahoo Finance and refresh on an hourly cadence.