Paychex Inc.
Unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires, the terms Paychex, we, us, our and the Company refer to Paychex, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries. Overview We are an industry-leading human capital management ( HCM ) company delivering a full suite of technology and advisory solutions in human resources ( HR ), employee benefit solutions, insurance, an…
$112.50
-$0.12 (-0.11%)
EOD Oct 21, 2026
Margins and capital returns are both well above average: 38.55% operating margin, ROIC at 22.35%. Consistent with durable pricing power, though that alone doesn't make it a buy.
Revenue grew 16.9%, still solid.
ROIC dropped from 24.37% to 22.35%, capital efficiency is deteriorating.
22.3x earnings, 19.9x FCF. Valuation is in a reasonable range. The main question is whether the business can re-accelerate or if current trajectory is already priced in.
Price History
Valuation & Multiples
Based on TTM earnings · Diluted shares
Profitability & Returns
Revenue (TTM)
$6.60B
▲ +16.9% YoY
Net Income (TTM)
$1.81B
▲ +6.2% YoY
Op. Margin
39.19%
▼ -1.1pp YoY
ROIC
23.28%
▼ -2.0pp YoY
Cash Flow & Balance Sheet
FCF (TTM)
$2.02B
▲ +35.8% YoY
Op. Cash Flow (TTM)
$2.25B
▲ +34.5% YoY
Net Debt
$3.69B
Cash & Equiv.
$934M
5Y CAGR: +9.9%
5Y CAGR: +15.2%
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SourceComputed from the 10-Q filed 31 Aug 2026, covering the period ending 31 Aug 2026, as reported to the SEC. Data last refreshed 12 Oct 2026. How this is calculated.
Price from market data, last close as of 21 Oct 2026. Fiscal year ends May. Sector medians are approximate S&P 500 benchmarks and update periodically.
Is Paychex (PAYX) overvalued?
At a P/E of 22.3 and a price-to-free-cash-flow of 19.9, Paychex (PAYX) trades around a two-stage DCF intrinsic value of about $119.91 per share, so at $112.50 the stock looks around fair value (6.6% below estimated intrinsic value). A high multiple is not the same as overvalued: fast-growing, high-quality businesses can deserve a premium. See the general approach in how to tell if a stock is overvalued.
On quality, Paychex scores 68/100 on Intrinsiqq's quality scorecard (a solid business on these measures), weighing growth, margins, returns on capital, share count, and balance-sheet strength. It currently yields about 4.1%; see dividend safety for coverage and history. All figures are computed from SEC filings; read the full methodology, or see how the market compares in our US profitability statistics. This is analysis, not investment advice.
Frequently asked
What is Paychex's fair value?+
Intrinsiqq's two-stage DCF estimates an intrinsic value of about $119.91 per share for PAYX, projecting its recent free cash flow forward with a growth rate that fades toward a long-run rate and discounting it back to today. Applying a 25% margin of safety gives a more conservative fair-value entry around $89.93. At today's $112.50, that puts the stock about 6.6% below estimated intrinsic value. The result is sensitive to the growth and discount-rate inputs, so it is best to run conservative, base and optimistic cases. You can adjust all of them yourself with the sliders on the DCF tab.
Is Paychex a high-quality business?+
Paychex scores 68 out of 100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score, a weighted blend of 8 metrics each scored 0 to 100, which makes it a solid business on these measures. Recent fundamentals include a 39.2% operating margin and a 23.3% return on invested capital. The score weighs revenue and free-cash-flow growth, operating margins, return on invested capital, share-count change, and balance-sheet strength, all computed from SEC filings, not opinion. Because valuation only means something relative to quality, the full metric-by-metric breakdown is on the quality scorecard.
Does Paychex (PAYX) pay a dividend, and how much?+
Yes, Paychex pays a regular dividend of about $4.56 per share per year (typically in quarterly installments), a yield of roughly 4.1% at the current price. That is a payout ratio of about 90.0% of earnings, so the dividend is stretched at this level. Paychex has grown the dividend at roughly 12.3% a year over the past few years. A low headline yield is not the same as a weak dividend: what matters is how well earnings and free cash flow cover the payout and whether it is growing, not the percentage alone. For PAYX's full payout history, growth streak and dividend-safety score, see the dividends tab.
Is Paychex a good stock to buy right now?+
That depends on valuation and quality together, not either alone. PAYX currently trades around its estimated intrinsic value and scores 68/100 on quality (solid). It also yields about 4.1%. A cheap price is only a bargain if the business is durable, and a premium can be justified by genuine quality, so the two questions, "is it cheap?" and "is it good?", only make sense side by side. Read the valuation against the quality scorecard, run the DCF on your own assumptions, and decide for yourself. This is analysis from SEC filings, not investment advice.
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings and third-party price providers. Scores, valuations, and metrics are algorithmic estimates. This is not investment advice. See our Terms and Methodology.
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