Man Group plc Makes New Investment in Paylocity Holding Corporation $PCTY

Man Group plc bought a new stake in Paylocity Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:PCTY) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 77,715 shares of the software maker’s stock, valued at approximately $8,124,000. Man Group plc owned about 0.15% of Paylocity at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its stake in Paylocity by 5,925.0% in the first quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 241 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Paylocity during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Paylocity by 4,250.0% in the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Paylocity in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Paylocity by 500.0% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 342 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.76% of the company’s stock.

Paylocity Price Performance

Shares of PCTY opened at $157.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.91 and a beta of 0.48. Paylocity Holding Corporation has a twelve month low of $92.99 and a twelve month high of $180.86. The company has a 50 day moving average of $131.32 and a 200-day moving average of $116.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Paylocity (NASDAQ:PCTY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.22. Paylocity had a net margin of 15.23% and a return on equity of 27.02%. The business had revenue of $444.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $431.46 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Paylocity Holding Corporation will post 6.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Paylocity News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Paylocity this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher long-term earnings forecasts: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $6.33 from $5.98 and its FY2028 forecast to $7.18 from $6.67. It also initiated a FY2029 estimate of $8.28 and increased several quarterly forecasts, signaling improved expectations for Paylocity’s earnings trajectory. Zacks nevertheless maintained a “Hold” rating. Zacks Research comments on Paylocity FY2029 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: AI recruiting traction: Paylocity’s partner HireQuotient highlighted results at Alliance Building Services, where its AI-native recruiting platform reportedly reduced manual recruiting work by 70% and cut time-to-hire by more than half. The customer example supports demand for Paylocity’s integrated human-capital-management ecosystem. Paylocity partners for AI-powered recruiting
• Positive Sentiment: Sector momentum: Paylocity traded higher alongside MongoDB, Datadog, Five9 and Monday.com, suggesting investor appetite for software and technology shares also contributed to the stock’s recent strength. Software stocks trade higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed estimate revisions: Zacks slightly reduced its Q2 2028 EPS forecast to $1.57 from $1.58 and Q4 2027 to $1.39 from $1.43, partly offsetting the broader upward revisions. The current-year consensus remains approximately $6.86 per share.
• Neutral Sentiment: Limited insider sale: Director Steven Sarowitz sold 441 shares for approximately $68,355 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced his holdings by only 0.01%, leaving him with nearly 4.47 million shares, making it unlikely to materially alter investor sentiment. Paylocity director stock sale
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk remains: With PCTY trading near its 52-week high and at roughly 32 times earnings, the stock may be vulnerable if future growth slows or estimates are revised lower. Zacks’ continued “Hold” rating reinforces that the improved outlook is not yet a broad-based bullish endorsement.

Insider Buying and Selling at Paylocity

In other news, SVP Andrew Cappotelli sold 2,550 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.83, for a total value of $382,066.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,641,814.07. This trade represents a 5.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ryan Glenn sold 3,345 shares of Paylocity stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.75, for a total value of $500,913.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 122,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,353,809.25. This represents a 2.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,741 shares of company stock valued at $4,621,962. Corporate insiders own 19.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PCTY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Paylocity from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Stephens reduced their target price on Paylocity from $160.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Paylocity from $122.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Paylocity in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Paylocity from $143.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Paylocity has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.53.

Paylocity Company Profile

Paylocity (NASDAQ: PCTY) is a leading provider of cloud-based payroll and human capital management (HCM) software designed to streamline workforce administration for mid-sized organizations. The company’s integrated platform automates core functions such as payroll processing, benefits administration, time and labor tracking, and compliance management, enabling employers to manage employee data more efficiently and reduce administrative burdens.

In addition to payroll and HR capabilities, Paylocity offers talent management solutions including recruiting, onboarding, performance tracking, and learning management.