ADP Nasdaq Human Resource & Employment Services Financials FY2017–FY2026
ADP sells payroll and human resources software and services to employers, from single-employee small businesses to large companies with tens of thousands of employees. Its cloud-based products handle payroll, benefits, time tracking and tax filing. It also sells HR outsourcing, which ADP says serves over three million client employees. In fiscal 2026, in the United States, it moved more than $3.5 trillion in client funds to employees, tax authorities and other payees.
Hi! I read Automatic Data Processing’s latest annual report (fiscal 2026). Here is what stands out:
Good So-so Weak
Are sales growing?
+6.7%
Yes. Sales grew 6.7% last year.
Does it make a profit?
20.1%
Yes. It keeps 20.1% of every sale as profit.
Does profit turn into cash?
23.9%
Yes. 23.9% of sales ends up as free cash.
Is debt under control?
0.1x
Yes. It could repay its debt with 0.1 years of operating profit.
How healthy are the accounts?
9 / 9
Solid. It passes 9 of 9 health tests.
Rules of thumb on reported numbers. A starting point, not a recommendation.
Is it selling more, and how much does it keep?
KIRA · Automatic Data Processing had $21.9B of revenue in fiscal 2026, up 6.7% on the year before. Over five years, revenue changed +7.9% a year on average.
In plain words: Revenue is all the money customers paid. The margins show how many cents of each dollar of sales are left over at each step: after making the product (gross), after running the business (operating) and after everything, tax included (net).
Revenue
Revenue
Margins, % of revenue
Margins, % of revenue
KIRA · Automatic Data Processing made $4.4B of net profit in fiscal 2026. From fiscal 2017 to 2026, diluted EPS grew 11.9% a year.
Loss periods are shown in red.
In plain words: Net income is the profit left after every cost and tax. Earnings per share (EPS) splits that profit across every share, so it shows what one share earned.
Net income
Net income
Diluted EPS
Diluted EPS
How much cash comes in, and where does it go?
KIRA · Free cash flow was $5.2B in fiscal 2026, 23.9% of revenue.
Cash from operations minus capital spending.
In plain words: Profit on paper is not the same as cash in the bank. Free cash flow is the cash left after paying to run and maintain the business: the money it can hand back to shareholders, save or invest.
Free cash flow
Free cash flow
Cash from operations vs capital spending
Cash from operations vs capital spending
KIRA · Automatic Data Processing returned $4.7B to shareholders in fiscal 2026, 90% of free cash flow. The diluted share count fell 1.3%.
In plain words: Companies hand cash back in two ways: dividends (cash paid to shareholders) and buybacks (buying back their own shares, so each remaining share owns a bigger slice).
Dividends and buybacks
Dividends and buybacks
Diluted shares outstanding (annual)
KIRA · In the last 12 months, insiders bought $0.7M and sold $13.8M of shares on the open market.
Open-market purchases and sales by officers, directors and 10% owners, from Form 4 filings. “Plan” marks trades under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
In plain words: Insiders are the people who run or own a big part of the company. Buying with their own money can signal confidence; selling often has personal reasons, like taxes or diversifying.
Bought, 12 months
$0.7M
1 insider
Sold, 12 months
$13.8M
6 insiders
Of sales under plans
100%
$13.8M
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 2026 | Joseph DeSilvaExecutive VP | Sold plan | 631 | $282.87 | $0.2M | Form 4 |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Maria BlackPresident & CEO | Sold plan | 29,810 | $280.91 | $8.4M | Form 4 |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Joseph DeSilvaExecutive VP | Sold plan | 6,512 | $283.00 | $1.8M | Form 4 |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Christopher D'AmbrosioCorp. VP | Sold plan | 1,872 | $283.00 | $0.5M | Form 4 |
| Sep 2, 2026 | David FoskettCorp. VP | Sold plan | 1,529 | $283.00 | $0.4M | Form 4 |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Brian L. MichaudExecutive VP | Sold plan | 120 | $279.70 | $0.0M | Form 4 |
| Aug 20, 2026 | David KwonCorp VP | Sold plan | 798 | $280.00 | $0.2M | Form 4 |
| Jul 30, 2026 | David KwonCorp VP | Sold plan | 2,414 | $265.62 | $0.6M | Form 4 |
| May 8, 2026 | Brian L. MichaudExecutive VP | Sold plan | 848 | $212.13 | $0.2M | Form 4 |
| May 7, 2026 | Robert Holmes SwanDirector | Bought plan | 3,619 | $206.05 | $0.7M | Form 4 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | Christopher D'AmbrosioCorp. VP | Sold plan | 543 | $195.74 | $0.1M | Form 4 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | Christopher D'AmbrosioCorp. VP | Sold plan | 543 | $208.45 | $0.1M | Form 4 |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Christopher D'AmbrosioCorp. VP | Sold plan | 543 | $212.43 | $0.1M | Form 4 |
| Feb 6, 2026 | Brian L. MichaudExecutive VP | Sold plan | 1,000 | $234.18 | $0.2M | Form 4 |
| Feb 5, 2026 | David FoskettCorp. VP | Sold plan | 266 | $237.00 | $0.1M | Form 4 |
| Jan 13, 2026 | Christopher D'AmbrosioCorp. VP | Sold plan | 543 | $262.29 | $0.1M | Form 4 |
| Jan 12, 2026 | David KwonCorp VP | Sold plan | 806 | $264.80 | $0.2M | Form 4 |
| Jan 6, 2026 | David KwonCorp VP | Sold plan | 900 | $260.00 | $0.2M | Form 4 |
| Jan 5, 2026 | Maria BlackPresident & CEO | Sold plan | 715 | $257.17 | $0.2M | Form 4 |
Can it carry its debts, and how well does it use its money?
KIRA · Automatic Data Processing owes $734M more than it holds in cash, about 0.1 years of operating profit.
Cash, debt and the ratios that show how comfortably Automatic Data Processing can carry it.
In plain words: What the company owns and what it owes. More cash than debt is a cushion for bad times; a lot of debt leaves less room when business slows down.
Cash vs debt (incl. leases)
| Fiscal year end | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | $1.5B | $2.1B | $3.3B | $7.8B | $4.2B |
| Debt incl. finance leases | $3.0B | $3.0B | $3.0B | $8.7B | $5.0B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 0.3x | 0.2x | −0.1x | 0.1x | 0.1x |
| Debt / equity | 0.9x | 0.9x | 0.7x | 1.4x | 0.8x |
| Interest coverage | 47.5x | 18.5x | 14.5x | 12.7x | 13.5x |
| Current ratio | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.1x | 1.1x |
| Quick ratio | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.1x | 1.1x |
| Total assets | $63.1B | $51.0B | $54.4B | $53.4B | $63.2B |
| Total liabilities | $59.8B | $47.5B | $49.8B | $47.2B | $57.2B |
| Shareholders' equity | $3.2B | $3.5B | $4.5B | $6.2B | $6.0B |
| Net debt (− = net cash) | $1.5B | $891M | −$306M | $898M | $734M |
KIRA · Its return on capital was 68.8%: every 100 invested in the business earned about 69 in a year.
After-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash.
In plain words: How much profit the business makes on the money put into it. A higher percentage means each dollar invested works harder.
Return on capital, equity and assets (annual)
KIRA · Automatic Data Processing passes 9 of 9 financial health tests (Piotroski F-score).
Nine pass/fail tests of profitability, funding and efficiency. 8–9 is strong, 0–2 weak.
In plain words: Nine yes/no tests of financial health, one point each. A green tick is a pass: 7 to 9 points is solid, 0 to 3 is weak.
| Test | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cash from operations is positive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Return on assets rose | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debt fell relative to assets | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Current ratio rose | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Share count didn't rise | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gross margin rose | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| F-score | 8 / 9 | 8 / 9 | 9 / 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −0.8% | −1.6% | −1.8% |
| Altman Z'' | 2.22 | 2.65 | 2.42 |
What does the share cost, and how does it compare?
KIRA · At $301.12 a share, the company is worth $121.4B.
Change the assumptions and see what they imply per share. These are models, not forecasts or price targets — the answer depends entirely on what you put in.
In plain words: Move the sliders to try your own guesses about growth. The result is what one share would be worth if those guesses came true. Different guesses give very different answers.
Value per share
—
Adds net cash of −$734M and divides by 403.3M diluted shares. Ten years of cash flows plus a terminal value, discounted to today.
Value per share
—
Reference multiples: today 27.8x · peers 19.1x · sector 26.0x.
KIRA · Automatic Data Processing grew sales faster than 2 of its 4 similar companies.
Each company’s latest fiscal year. Fiscal years end in different months, so periods don’t line up exactly.
In plain words: The same numbers for similar companies, so you can tell whether a figure is high or low for this kind of business.
| Company | Market cap | Growth | Op. margin | FCF margin | ROIC | P/E | F-score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic Data Processing ADP | $121.4B | 6.7% | — | 23.9% | 68.8% | — | 9 | |
| Paychex PAYX | $41.3B | 16.9% | 38.6% | 35.7% | 26.2% | 22.9x | 6 | Compare → |
| Korn Ferry KFY | $4.0B | 6.4% | 12.8% | 11.0% | 21.9% | 14.9x | 8 | Compare → |
| Paylocity PCTY | $9.7B | 11.0% | 21.8% | 28.1% | 26.5% | — | 8 | Compare → |
| Upwork UPWK | $1.2B | 2.4% | 16.4% | 30.8% | 31.0% | 12.3x | 6 | Compare → |
Every number, year by year.
Amounts in USD. Hover a ratio’s name for its definition.
In plain words: Every number we have, year by year. Download it as a spreadsheet if you want to dig deeper.
| Fiscal year | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $12.4B | $13.3B | $14.1B | $14.6B | $15.0B | $16.5B | $18.0B | $19.2B | $20.6B | $21.9B |
| Gross profit | $5.1B | $5.5B | $6.1B | $6.1B | $6.4B | $7.0B | $8.1B | $8.7B | $9.5B | $10.2B |
| Research and development | — | — | — | — | — | $799M | $845M | $956M | $989M | $1.0B |
| Interest expense | $80.0M | $103M | $130M | $107M | $59.7M | $81.9M | $253M | $361M | $456M | $459M |
| Pretax income | $2.6B | $2.3B | $3.0B | $3.2B | $3.4B | $3.8B | $4.4B | $4.9B | $5.3B | $5.7B |
| Income tax | $829M | $398M | $713M | $716M | $763M | $855M | $1.0B | $1.1B | $1.2B | $1.3B |
| Net income | $1.8B | $1.9B | $2.3B | $2.5B | $2.6B | $2.9B | $3.4B | $3.8B | $4.1B | $4.4B |
| Diluted EPS | $3.97 | $4.25 | $5.24 | $5.70 | $6.07 | $7.00 | $8.21 | $9.10 | $9.98 | $10.94 |
| Diluted shares | 0.45B | 0.44B | 0.44B | 0.43B | 0.43B | 0.42B | 0.42B | 0.41B | 0.41B | 0.40B |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | $2.1B | $2.5B | $2.7B | $3.0B | $3.1B | $3.1B | $4.2B | $4.2B | $4.9B | $5.4B |
| Capital expenditure | $240M | $206M | $162M | $173M | $179M | $174M | $206M | $208M | $169M | $197M |
| Free cash flow | $1.9B | $2.3B | $2.5B | $2.9B | $2.9B | $2.9B | $4.0B | $3.9B | $4.8B | $5.2B |
| Depreciation and amortization | $316M | $378M | $409M | $480M | $511M | $515M | $549M | $562M | $582M | $586M |
| Stock-based compensation | $139M | $175M | $167M | $131M | $175M | $202M | $220M | $244M | $266M | $243M |
| Acquisitions | $87.4M | $612M | $126M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $11.7M | $32.4M | $33.6M | $1.2B | $22.8M |
| Share buybacks | $1.3B | $989M | $938M | $1.0B | $1.4B | $2.0B | $1.1B | $1.2B | $1.3B | $2.1B |
| Dividends paid | $995M | $1.1B | $1.3B | $1.5B | $1.6B | $1.7B | $1.9B | $2.2B | $2.4B | $2.6B |
| Dividends and buybacks | $2.3B | $2.1B | $2.2B | $2.5B | $2.9B | $3.6B | $3.0B | $3.4B | $3.7B | $4.7B |
| Balance sheet | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | $2.8B | $2.2B | $2.0B | $1.9B | $2.6B | $1.5B | $2.1B | $3.3B | $7.8B | $4.2B |
| Total debt | $2.0B | $2.0B | $2.0B | $2.0B | $3.0B | $3.0B | $3.0B | $3.0B | $8.7B | $5.0B |
| Finance lease liabilities | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M |
| Current assets | $32.7B | $31.8B | $34.3B | $31.6B | $40.7B | $54.8B | $42.2B | $45.5B | $43.3B | $52.6B |
| Current liabilities | $29.8B | $30.4B | $32.6B | $30.1B | $38.1B | $55.2B | $42.8B | $45.1B | $41.3B | $50.0B |
| Inventory | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M |
| Property and equipment, net | $780M | $794M | $764M | $704M | $685M | $653M | $681M | $686M | $655M | $641M |
| Total assets | $38.9B | $38.8B | $41.9B | $39.2B | $48.8B | $63.1B | $51.0B | $54.4B | $53.4B | $63.2B |
| Total liabilities | $33.2B | $34.1B | $36.5B | $33.4B | $43.1B | $59.8B | $47.5B | $49.8B | $47.2B | $57.2B |
| Shareholders' equity | $4.0B | $4.7B | $5.4B | $5.8B | $5.7B | $3.2B | $3.5B | $4.5B | $6.2B | $6.0B |
| Margins | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 41.4% | 41.6% | 43.2% | 42.1% | 42.4% | 42.7% | 44.7% | 45.4% | 46.0% | 46.4% |
| EBITDA margin | 24.4% | 20.8% | 25.1% | 25.8% | 26.2% | 26.7% | 29.1% | 30.2% | 30.9% | 30.9% |
| Net margin | 14.5% | 14.2% | 16.3% | 16.9% | 17.3% | 17.9% | 18.9% | 19.5% | 19.8% | 20.1% |
| FCF margin | 15.2% | 17.4% | 17.9% | 19.6% | 19.4% | 17.7% | 22.2% | 20.6% | 23.2% | 23.9% |
| Returns | ||||||||||
| Return on capital | — | — | — | — | 44.4% | — | — | — | 78.2% | 68.8% |
| Return on capital employed | 31.9% | 27.3% | 35.4% | 36.0% | 34.7% | 41.8% | 58.2% | 59.9% | 54.0% | 49.0% |
| Return on equity | 42.3% | 43.3% | 45.2% | 44.2% | 45.5% | 66.3% | 101.3% | 93.1% | 76.0% | 72.2% |
| Return on assets | 4.3% | 4.9% | 5.7% | 6.1% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 6.0% | 7.1% | 7.6% | 7.6% |
| Growth | ||||||||||
| Revenue growth | 6.0% | 7.3% | 6.3% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 10.0% | 9.2% | 6.6% | 7.1% | 6.7% |
| Net income growth | 19.8% | 5.4% | 21.6% | 7.6% | 5.4% | 13.5% | 15.7% | 10.0% | 8.7% | 8.2% |
| EPS growth | 22.2% | 7.1% | 23.3% | 8.8% | 6.5% | 15.3% | 17.3% | 10.8% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| FCF growth | 9.1% | 22.5% | 9.4% | 13.0% | 2.1% | 0.4% | 36.8% | −1.3% | 20.8% | 9.9% |
| Share count change | −1.9% | −1.6% | −1.3% | −1.1% | −1.1% | −1.6% | −1.3% | −0.8% | −0.9% | −1.3% |
| Financial health | ||||||||||
| Net debt / EBITDA | −0.3x | −0.1x | 0.0x | 0.0x | 0.1x | 0.3x | 0.2x | −0.1x | 0.1x | 0.1x |
| Debt / equity | 0.5x | 0.4x | 0.4x | 0.4x | 0.5x | 0.9x | 0.9x | 0.7x | 1.4x | 0.8x |
| Interest coverage | 33.7x | 23.2x | 24.1x | 30.7x | 57.3x | 47.5x | 18.5x | 14.5x | 12.7x | 13.5x |
| Current ratio | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.1x | 1.1x |
| Quick ratio | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.1x | 1.1x |
| Capital allocation | ||||||||||
| Capex / revenue | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Stock comp / revenue | 1.1% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.1% |
| Payouts / FCF | 119.6% | 88.9% | 88.3% | 86.8% | 101.1% | 124.0% | 75.6% | 86.5% | 77.1% | 89.8% |
| Quality scores | ||||||||||
| Piotroski F-score | 6.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| Altman Z'' | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.4 |
| Accruals ratio | −0.8% | −1.6% | −1.0% | −1.4% | −1.1% | −0.3% | −1.4% | −0.8% | −1.6% | −1.8% |
Source: SEC EDGAR XBRL filings (CIK 0000008670). Data updated October 9, 2026. Quarterly fourth quarters are the full year minus the first nine months. For information only — not investment advice. Check the original filings before relying on any figure.
