Key facts, as of
As of October 6, 2026, Paychex Inc. (PAYX) trades at $101.02, down 18.8% over the past year. Its 52-week range runs from $85.45 to $129.24; the price is 21.8% below that high. It is 37.3% below its all-time high of $161.24, reached in June 2025. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +132.3%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY). It sits 2.5% below its 200-day average of $103.65, the usual sign of a long-term downtrend. Its 30-day volatility is 36.1% annualized, which we rate high risk. It has a trailing P/E of 20.0 and a dividend yield of 4.77%.
Cite: Portfolio Terminal, "Paychex Inc. (PAYX) stock analysis", 2026-10-06. https://portfolio-terminal.com/analyse/payx
Where it trades today
trading 36% of the way up its 52-week range
How the price has moved
How far it is from its record
Paychex Inc. (PAYX) is 37.3% below its all-time high of $161.24, reached in June 2025. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +132.3%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY).
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 is valued near its sector range at 20.0x earnings versus 18.5x for peers, so the next move likely needs a real earnings or guidance catalyst.
- Recent realized volatility is running around 36.1%, above the sector norm of 22.0%, so position sizing matters more than usual.
- PAYX remains in a bearish short-term trend and sits 21.8% below its high, which raises the bar for any thesis that depends on fast multiple expansion.
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.
- A recovery in price alone would not be enough to improve the view; the thesis needs confirmation from improving business or valuation signals.
- Volatility is already above the sector norm, so even a correct long-term thesis can be painful if the position size is too aggressive.
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: Oct 6, 2026, 11:07 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 $113.93 versus $101.02 today (+12.8%). 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 $6.60B in trailing revenue (5.9% year over year), with a 27.4% net margin, and $1.89B of free cash flow, against $3.69B 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.
Which ETFs hold it
PAYX is in 10 of the 30 ETFs we track. It weighs most in SCHD: 0.82% of the fund, holding #32 of 100.
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
Slipped under its 50-day average inside a longer uptrend.
weakening- Price is 13.3% below its 50-day average and 2.5% below its 200-day.
- The 50-day crossed above the 200-day on 2026-07-30 (a “golden cross”).
- RSI at 32 is neither stretched nor washed out.
- The nearest ceiling is $102.41 (+1.4%), the nearest floor $96.73 (-4.3%).
A description of the chart, not advice. Indicators describe what the price has done; none of them knows what it does next.
Questions people ask about it
Is PAYX a good investment in 2026?
Paychex Inc. trades at a P/E ratio of 20.0, with high volatility (36.1% annualized). Recent trend shows weakness.
What is the risk level of PAYX?
Based on 30-day volatility of 36.1%, PAYX has HIGH risk. Beta of 0.85 indicates lower sensitivity to market movements than average.
Does PAYX pay dividends?
Yes, Paychex Inc. has a dividend yield of 4.77%.
How far is PAYX from its all-time high?
Paychex Inc. is 37.3% below its all-time high of $161.24, reached in June 2025. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +132.3%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY).
Which ETFs hold PAYX?
10 of the 30 popular ETFs we track hold Paychex Inc.. The largest weights: SCHD (0.82%), XLI (0.60%), VYM (0.16%), QQQ (0.15%) and QQQM (0.15%). Measured on each issuer's full holdings file, dated August 31 to October 1, 2026.
How much of VOO is PAYX?
0.06%, as of August 31, 2026: PAYX is holding #264 of 505 in Vanguard's file for VOO. $1,000 in VOO puts about $0.62 in Paychex Inc..
What is the analyst price target for PAYX?
The average analyst price target for Paychex Inc. (PAYX) is $113.93 based on 14 analyst estimates, about 12.8% above the current price of $101.02. The published range runs from $96.00 to $150.00.
How much revenue does PAYX generate?
Paychex Inc. reported $6.60B in trailing twelve-month revenue. Revenue growth is running at 5.9% year over year. Net margin sits at 27.4%. Figures are aggregated from company filings by Yahoo Finance and refresh on an hourly cadence.
Compare PAYX with anything
Five years side by side: what $10,000 became, how far each fell, whether they move together.