ADP vs MCO vs PAYC Stock Comparison

Automatic Data Processing, Moodys and Paycom Software Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MCO Moodys Corp /De/
$505.87 +14.6% 1M +5.3% 1Y
Market cap
$87.21B
P/E
30.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.18B
Div. yield
0.80%
Financial Data and Analytics Financial Services
1 win
PAYC Paycom Software, Inc.
$266.05 +20.3% 1M +42.2% 1Y
Market cap
$11.79B
P/E
25.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.14B
Div. yield
0.57%
HR Software Technology
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Paycom Software leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Paycom Software 6, Automatic Data Processing 5, Moodys 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionADPMCOPAYCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $118.85B $87.21B $11.79B ADP
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.6x 30.3x 25.0x PAYC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.2x 28.2x 22.7x PAYC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.5% +9.0% +9.2% PAYC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 20.3% 35.3% 22.8% MCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -47.2% 27.9% 31.3% PAYC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.4x 1.3x 0.8x ADP
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.28% 0.80% 0.57% ADP
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +14.8% +5.3% +42.2% PAYC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.8%/yr +5.5%/yr -12.3%/yr ADP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.9% 28.4% 46.9% ADP
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 38/100 59/100 62/100 PAYC

Percentile Scorecard

ADPMCOPAYC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisADPMCOPAYC
Valuation 28 #72 of 100 17 #779 of 939 51 #50 of 100
Growth 26 #72 of 97 72 #231 of 814 57 #42 of 97
Profitability 53 #45 of 94 97 #29 of 828 98 #3 of 94
Financial Health 34 #74 of 111 52 #431 of 898 40 #67 of 111
Shareholder Returns 51 #32 of 64 57 #313 of 725 62 #25 of 64
Overall 38 59 62
  • ADP ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications
  • MCO ranked among 1,003 companies in Financial Services
  • PAYC ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodADPMCOPAYCSPY
1 month +16.0%+14.6%+20.3% -2.3%
3 months +10.7%+4.7%+57.7% -0.7%
6 months +41.4%+12.5%+101.2% +4.8%
Year to date +16.2%-1.0%+66.9% +10.3%
1 year +14.8%+5.3%+42.2% +10.3%
3 years +36.2%+52.6%+67.3% +73.0%
3 years, per year +10.9%+15.1%+18.7% +20.1%
5 years +32.3%+30.9%-48.1% +61.9%
5 years, per year +5.8%+5.5%-12.3% +10.1%
10 years +232.1%+416.4%+508.8% +258.6%
10 years, per year +12.8%+17.8%+19.8% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureADPMCOPAYCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.9%28.4%46.9% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.9%29.9%42.4% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.130.460.05 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.530.190.90 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.2%-41.4%-77.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -3.0%-6.3%-3.1% -3.5%
52-week high $307.94$539.61$274.60 $779.14
52-week low $188.79$412.23$113.59 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleADPMCOPAYC
P/E now vs peer median 26.6xmedian 28.5x 30.3xmedian 13.6x 25.0xmedian 28.5x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 2.8x 10.7xmedian 3.3x 5.5xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -25.9xmedian 16.8x 22.3xmedian 6.0x 14.8xmedian 16.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 22.7xmedian 16.2x 29.3xmedian 11.0x 20.5xmedian 16.2x
P/B now vs peer median 23.3xmedian 2.9x 25.6xmedian 1.2x 20.6xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 2.67median 0.90 1.15median 0.92 1.00median 0.90

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsADPMCOPAYC
Revenue $22.26B $8.18B $2.14B
Gross profit $10.37B $6.10B $1.79B
Operating income -$6.45B $3.64B $648.40M
Net income $4.53B $2.89B $487.60M
Free cash flow $5.25B $2.98B $575.10M
R&D $1.03B – $258.90M
EPS (diluted) $11.22 $16.64 $10.62
Cash & equivalents $3.28B $1.51B $198.00M
Total debt $4.97B $6.91B $900.00M
Shares (diluted) 403.30M 173.30M 45.91M
Enterprise value $105.65B $80.28B $10.69B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricADPMCOPAYC
P/E 26.6x 30.3x 25.0x
P/FCF 22.7x 29.3x 20.5x
P/Operating cash flow 21.8x 26.2x 14.7x
P/S 5.3x 10.7x 5.5x
P/B 23.3x 25.6x 20.6x
P/Tangible book 34.6x 50.8x 21.8x
EV/EBITDA -25.9x 22.3x 14.8x
EV/EBIT -18.7x 25.4x 19.3x
EV/Revenue 5.4x 11.3x 5.8x
EV/FCF 23.0x 31.1x 21.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 22.1x 27.8x 15.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.67 1.15 1.00

Growth

14 metrics
MetricADPMCOPAYC
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.5% 9.0% 9.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.7% 12.6% 11.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.0% 10.3% 10.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.0% 14.6% 11.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) -2.7% 16.0% 17.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -3.8% 23.3% 14.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 9.4% 28.5% 17.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 24.0% 15.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 10.3% 33.1% 44.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 9.9% 26.5% 25.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 14.6% 22.5% 43.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 17.5% 21.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 14.0% 24.1% 60.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.2% 18.8% 24.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricADPMCOPAYC
Gross margin 46.6% 74.6% 83.7%
EBITDA margin -20.9% 50.6% 39.5%
Operating margin -29.0% 44.6% 30.3%
Pretax margin 26.4% 45.2% 32.0%
Net margin 20.3% 35.3% 22.8%
FCF margin 23.6% 36.4% 26.9%
Operating cash flow margin 24.5% 40.7% 37.4%
Return on equity 81.4% 87.8% 70.5%
Return on assets 7.1% 19.6% 9.7%
Return on invested capital -47.2% 27.9% 31.3%
Return on capital employed -54.0% 31.8% 36.7%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.6x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.2x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 2.8% 4.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricADPMCOPAYC
Debt / assets 7.8% 46.6% 17.3%
Debt / equity 1.0x 2.0x 1.6x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.4x 1.3x 0.8x
Debt / FCF 0.9x 2.3x 1.6x
Liabilities / assets 92.0% 77.0% 89.0%
Equity / assets 8.0% 23.0% 11.0%
Interest coverage -13.7x – 39.8x
Current ratio 1.0x 1.3x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.1x 1.3x 0.1x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.5x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 1.87 7.87 3.07

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricADPMCOPAYC
Dividend yield 2.3% 0.8% 0.6%
Net buyback yield 2.1% 3.4% 12.6%
Shareholder yield 4.4% 4.2% 13.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 24.6% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 23.8% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.0% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 8.8% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusADPMCOPAYC
Forward P/E 23.2xFY2027 28.2xFY2026 22.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.87FY2027 $17.93FY2026 $11.74FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +15.7%FY2027 +20.0%FY2026 +27.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.8% -1.5% +14.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $22.14BFY2027 $8.69BFY2026 $2.08BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.9%FY2027 +12.6%FY2026 +1.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +18.1% -2.0% +11.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersADPMCOPAYC
Held by institutions 88.1% 90.8% 90.3%
Institutions holding 2,293 1,406 596
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.4% -1.6% -8.5%
Institutions buying 1,087 645 296
Institutions selling 874 523 222
Buyers to sellers 1.24 1.23 1.33

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ADPMCOPAYC
ADP 1.00 0.56 0.67
MCO 0.56 1.00 0.40
PAYC 0.67 0.40 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ADP, MCO and PAYC?

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) is the largest by market capitalisation: Automatic Data Processing (ADP) $118.85B, Moodys (MCO) $87.21B, Paycom Software (PAYC) $11.79B.

Which stock is cheaper, ADP, MCO and PAYC?

Paycom Software (PAYC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 26.6x, Moodys (MCO) 30.3x, Paycom Software (PAYC) 25.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Paycom Software (PAYC) is cheapest (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 23.2x, Moodys (MCO) 28.2x, Paycom Software (PAYC) 22.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Paycom Software (PAYC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Automatic Data Processing (ADP) +6.5%, Moodys (MCO) +9.0%, Paycom Software (PAYC) +9.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Moodys (MCO) has the highest net margin (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 20.3%, Moodys (MCO) 35.3%, Paycom Software (PAYC) 22.8%). On return on invested capital, Paycom Software (PAYC) leads (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) -47.2%, Moodys (MCO) 27.9%, Paycom Software (PAYC) 31.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Paycom Software (PAYC) returned the most: Automatic Data Processing (ADP) +14.8%, Moodys (MCO) +5.3%, Paycom Software (PAYC) +42.2%. Over five years, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) compounded fastest (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) +5.8%/yr, Moodys (MCO) +5.5%/yr, Paycom Software (PAYC) -12.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) has the highest dividend yield: Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 2.28%, Moodys (MCO) 0.80%, Paycom Software (PAYC) 0.57%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) has been the steadiest (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 27.9%, Moodys (MCO) 28.4%, Paycom Software (PAYC) 46.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ADP, MCO and PAYC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Paycom Software (PAYC) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.