ADP vs MCO vs PCTY Stock Comparison

Automatic Data Processing, Moodys and Paylocity Holding Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MCO Moodys Corp /De/
$483.45 +2.0% 1M +0.9% 1Y
Market cap
$83.73B
P/E
29.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.18B
Div. yield
0.01%
Financial Data and Analytics Financial Services
2 wins
PCTY Paylocity Holding Corp
$177.19 +23.4% 1M +16.6% 1Y
Market cap
$9.54B
P/E
35.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.77B
Div. yield
–
HR Software Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Paylocity Holding leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Paylocity Holding 5, Automatic Data Processing 4, Moodys 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionADPMCOPCTYLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $121.17B $83.73B $9.54B ADP
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.5x 29.0x 35.4x ADP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.6x 26.8x 21.5x PCTY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.7% +9.0% +11.0% PCTY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 20.1% 35.3% 15.2% MCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -46.5% 27.9% 21.0% MCO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.2x 1.3x -0.4x PCTY
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +8.0% +0.9% +16.6% PCTY
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.9%/yr +4.8%/yr -9.7%/yr ADP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.3% 28.5% 42.0% ADP
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 38/100 60/100 64/100 PCTY

Percentile Scorecard

ADPMCOPCTY

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

AxisADPMCOPCTY
Valuation 36 #65 of 101 18 #771 of 945 54 #47 of 101
Growth 26 #72 of 97 73 #219 of 822 68 #32 of 97
Profitability 53 #45 of 94 97 #26 of 835 86 #14 of 94
Financial Health 35 #71 of 109 53 #424 of 905 57 #48 of 109
Shareholder Returns 41 #38 of 64 58 #304 of 726 56 #29 of 64
Overall 38 60 64
  • ADP ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications
  • MCO ranked among 1,011 companies in Financial Services
  • PCTY ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodADPMCOPCTYSPY
1 month +15.4%+2.0%+23.4% -1.0%
3 months +21.6%+2.5%+41.4% +2.9%
6 months +54.8%+6.0%+73.4% +6.4%
Year to date +18.2%-5.4%+16.2% +11.4%
1 year +8.0%+0.9%+16.6% +13.1%
3 years +26.5%+58.2%-5.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +8.2%+16.5%-1.7% +21.5%
5 years +39.7%+26.7%-39.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year +6.9%+4.8%-9.7% +10.9%
10 years +250.7%+372.9%+292.5% +255.2%
10 years, per year +13.4%+16.8%+14.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureADPMCOPCTYSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.3%28.5%42.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 26.9%30.2%41.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.080.51-0.14 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.280.030.40 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.2%-42.2%-68.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -1.2%-10.4%-0.3% -2.5%
52-week high $307.94$539.61$177.67 $779.14
52-week low $188.79$412.23$95.10 $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.

MultipleADPMCOPCTY
P/E now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 29.9x 29.0xmedian 13.4x 35.5xmedian 29.9x
P/S now vs peer median 5.5xmedian 2.8x 10.2xmedian 3.2x 5.3xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -26.2xmedian 17.4x 21.4xmedian 5.9x 18.6xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 23.1xmedian 16.9x 28.0xmedian 11.1x 19.0xmedian 16.9x
P/B now vs peer median 20.1xmedian 3.1x 24.4xmedian 1.2x 7.7xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 2.76median 0.86 1.09median 0.89 1.39median 0.86

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 monthsADPMCOPCTY
Revenue $21.95B $8.18B $1.77B
Gross profit $10.19B $6.10B $1.23B
Operating income -$6.44B $3.64B $385.99M
Net income $4.41B $2.89B $269.74M
Free cash flow $5.24B $2.98B $497.10M
R&D $1.03B – $221.39M
EPS (diluted) $10.94 $16.64 $4.92
Cash & equivalents $4.23B $1.51B $271.92M
Total debt $22.10B $6.91B $81.25M
Shares (diluted) 403.30M 173.30M 54.77M
Enterprise value $103.29B $76.65B $8.64B

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
MetricADPMCOPCTY
P/E 27.7x 29.0x 35.5x
P/FCF 23.1x 28.0x 19.0x
P/Operating cash flow 22.2x 25.0x 17.7x
P/S 5.5x 10.2x 5.3x
P/B 20.1x 24.4x 7.7x
P/Tangible book 27.6x 48.5x 8.3x
EV/EBITDA -26.2x 21.4x 18.6x
EV/EBIT -18.9x 24.3x 24.0x
EV/Revenue 5.5x 10.8x 5.2x
EV/FCF 23.2x 29.8x 18.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 22.4x 26.6x 17.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.76 1.09 1.39

Growth

14 metrics
MetricADPMCOPCTY
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.7% 9.0% 11.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.8% 12.6% 14.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.6% 10.3% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.1% 14.6% 14.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) -4.9% 16.0% 27.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -4.2% 23.3% 35.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 8.2% 28.5% 18.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 24.0% 24.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 9.6% 33.1% 22.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 10.1% 26.5% 25.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.2% 22.5% 27.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.9% 17.5% 23.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 9.9% 24.1% 22.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.4% 18.8% 24.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricADPMCOPCTY
Gross margin 46.4% 74.6% 69.2%
EBITDA margin -21.2% 50.6% 28.1%
Operating margin -29.3% 44.6% 21.8%
Pretax margin 26.1% 45.2% 21.9%
Net margin 20.1% 35.3% 15.2%
FCF margin 23.9% 36.4% 28.1%
Operating cash flow margin 24.8% 40.7% 30.1%
Return on equity 71.3% 87.8% 22.5%
Return on assets 6.9% 19.6% 5.2%
Return on invested capital -46.5% 27.9% 21.0%
Return on capital employed -46.6% 31.8% 22.1%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.6x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.2x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 2.8% 7.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricADPMCOPCTY
Debt / assets 7.9% 46.6% 1.7%
Debt / equity 0.8x 2.0x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.2x 1.3x -0.4x
Debt / FCF 0.9x 2.3x 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 90.5% 77.0% 75.0%
Equity / assets 9.5% 23.0% 25.0%
Interest coverage -14.0x – –
Current ratio 1.1x 1.3x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.2x 1.3x 0.1x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.5x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 1.93 7.67 2.58

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricADPMCOPCTY
Dividend yield 2.2% 0.8% –
Net buyback yield 1.7% 3.5% 4.1%
Shareholder yield 4.0% 4.4% 4.1%
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.

ConsensusADPMCOPCTY
Forward P/E 23.6xFY2027 26.8xFY2026 21.5xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $12.87FY2027 $18.07FY2026 $8.25FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +15.7%FY2027 +21.0%FY2026 -0.7%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +6.8% -1.2% +13.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $22.14BFY2027 $8.74BFY2026 $1.94BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +0.9%FY2027 +13.2%FY2026 +9.6%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +18.1% -1.8% -1.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersADPMCOPCTY
Held by institutions 88.1% 90.8% 85.3%
Institutions holding 2,290 1,404 466
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.4% -1.6% +2.3%
Institutions buying 1,084 644 273
Institutions selling 874 522 154
Buyers to sellers 1.24 1.23 1.77

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.

ADPMCOPCTY
ADP 1.00 0.57 0.79
MCO 0.57 1.00 0.50
PCTY 0.79 0.50 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ADP, MCO and PCTY?

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) is the largest by market capitalisation: Automatic Data Processing (ADP) $121.17B, Moodys (MCO) $83.73B, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) $9.54B.

Which stock is cheaper, ADP, MCO and PCTY?

Automatic Data Processing (ADP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 27.5x, Moodys (MCO) 29.0x, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 35.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) is cheapest (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 23.6x, Moodys (MCO) 26.8x, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 21.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Paylocity Holding (PCTY) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Automatic Data Processing (ADP) +6.7%, Moodys (MCO) +9.0%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) +11.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Moodys (MCO) has the highest net margin (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 20.1%, Moodys (MCO) 35.3%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 15.2%). On return on invested capital, Moodys (MCO) leads (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) -46.5%, Moodys (MCO) 27.9%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 21.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Paylocity Holding (PCTY) returned the most: Automatic Data Processing (ADP) +8.0%, Moodys (MCO) +0.9%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) +16.6%. Over five years, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) compounded fastest (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) +6.9%/yr, Moodys (MCO) +4.8%/yr, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) -9.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 0.00%, Moodys (MCO) 0.01%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 0.00%. Automatic Data Processing (ADP) and Paylocity Holding (PCTY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) has been the steadiest (Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 28.3%, Moodys (MCO) 28.5%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 42.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) leads on 5. 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.