Automatic Data Processing Q1 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP has reported impressive first-quarter fiscal 2026 results, wherein earnings and revenues outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

ADP’s earnings per share of $2.49 beat the consensus estimate by 2.1% and increased 6.9% from the year-ago quarter. Total revenues of $5.2 billion surpassed the consensus estimate by a slight margin and grew 7.1% on a year-over-year basis.

The ADP stock has declined 4.5% in the past year compared with the industry’s 28.6% growth and the 20.7% rise of the Zacks S&P 500 Composite.

ADP’s Segmental Results

Employer Services’ revenues of $3.5 billion increased 7% on a reported basis and 5% on an organic constant-currency basis, surpassing our estimate of $3.4 billion. Pays per control remained flat with the year-ago quarter.

PEO Services’ revenues gained 7% from the year-ago quarter to $1.7 billion and met our projection. Average worksite employees paid by PEO Services were 754,000, rising 2% from the year-ago quarter.

Interest on funds held for clients grew 13% from the year-ago quarter to $287 million and missed our estimate of $342.4 million. ADP’s average client funds balance rose 7% to $34.9 billion. The average interest yield on client funds expanded 20 basis points (bps) to 3.3%.

Automatic Data Processing’s Margins

Adjusted EBIT increased 7% on a year-over-year basis to $1.3 billion. The adjusted EBIT margin remained flat at 25.5%.

The margin of Employer Services decreased 50 bps, while PEO Services declined 140 bps from the year-ago quarter.

Balance Sheet & Cash Flow of ADP

Automatic Data Processing exited first-quarter fiscal 2026 with cash and cash equivalents of $2.5 billion compared with $3.3 billion at the end of the preceding quarter. The long-term debt of $4 billion remained flat with the preceding quarter.

The company generated $642.3 billion in cash from operating activities in the quarter.

Automatic Data Processing’s FY25 Outlook

For fiscal 2026, ADP expects year-over-year revenue growth of 5-6%. The adjusted EPS growth guidance is kept at 8-10%. The adjusted effective tax rate is estimated to be 23%. The guidance for the adjusted EBIT margin is 50-70 bps.

Automatic Data Processing’s Employer Services’ revenue growth expectations to 5-6%. The guidance for PEO Services is kept at 5-7%.

ADP carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Earnings Snapshot

FactSet FDS reported mixed results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025.

FDS’s earnings per share of $4.05 missed the consensus mark by 2.4% but increased 8.3% from the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $596.9 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a slight margin and 6.2% from the year-ago quarter.

Waste Connections, Inc. WCN posted impressive third-quarter 2025 results.

Waste Connections’ adjusted earnings (excluding 33 cents from non-recurring items) of $1.44 per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.4% and increased 6.7% year over year. Revenues of $2.5 billion beat the consensus estimate marginally and grew 5.1% from the year-ago quarter.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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