BR vs NOW vs PAYX Stock Comparison

Broadridge Financial Solutions, ServiceNow and Paychex Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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NOW ServiceNow, Inc.
$149.85 +14.0% 1M -20.1% 1Y
Market cap
$113.78B
P/E
78.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$15.43B
Div. yield
–
Business Process Automation Technology
4 wins
PAYX Paychex Inc
$108.21 +9.0% 1M -12.8% 1Y
Market cap
$38.79B
P/E
21.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.60B
Div. yield
0.04%
HR Software Technology
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

ServiceNow leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (ServiceNow 4, Paychex 4, Broadridge Financial Solutions 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionBRNOWPAYXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $20.65B $113.78B $38.79B NOW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.4x 78.7x 21.5x BR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.2x 38.9x 17.2x BR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.5% +21.8% +14.0% NOW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.0% 9.4% 27.4% PAYX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.7% 5.2% 23.7% PAYX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 0.8x 1.2x NOW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.04% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -23.0% -20.1% -12.8% PAYX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -0.2%/yr +1.4%/yr -2.6%/yr NOW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.6% 58.8% 31.4% BR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 57/100 51/100 58/100 PAYX

Percentile Scorecard

BRNOWPAYX

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

AxisBRNOWPAYX
Valuation 69 #32 of 101 33 #68 of 101 48 #53 of 101
Growth 40 #59 of 97 50 #49 of 97 34 #64 of 97
Profitability 82 #18 of 94 80 #20 of 94 97 #4 of 94
Financial Health 44 #61 of 108 53 #51 of 108 40 #65 of 108
Shareholder Returns 49 #33 of 64 38 #40 of 64 68 #21 of 64
Overall 57 51 58
  • BR ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications
  • NOW ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications
  • PAYX ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodBRNOWPAYXSPY
1 month +8.6%+14.0%+9.0% +0.9%
3 months +11.1%+29.4%-11.4% +5.9%
6 months +10.1%+68.6%+15.1% +8.5%
Year to date -20.7%-2.2%-3.5% +13.3%
1 year -23.0%-20.1%-12.8% +12.4%
3 years +5.7%+35.2%-1.2% +88.1%
3 years, per year +1.9%+10.6%-0.4% +23.5%
5 years -0.8%+7.4%-12.2% +68.2%
5 years, per year -0.2%+1.4%-2.6% +11.0%
10 years +176.2%+770.2%+96.6% +263.4%
10 years, per year +10.7%+24.2%+7.0% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureBRNOWPAYXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.6%58.8%31.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.8%61.5%33.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.030.60-0.04 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.75-0.34-0.41 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.3%-64.5%-46.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -23.7%-20.1%-15.0% -0.9%
52-week high $232.02$187.58$127.34 $779.14
52-week low $135.44$83.00$85.57 $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.

MultipleBRNOWPAYX
P/E now vs peer median 18.3xmedian 27.6x 107.3xmedian 27.6x 21.3xmedian 27.6x
P/S now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 2.7x 10.1xmedian 2.7x 5.8xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.3xmedian 17.4x 46.0xmedian 17.4x 12.9xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.8xmedian 15.8x 32.7xmedian 15.8x 19.4xmedian 15.8x
P/B now vs peer median 7.1xmedian 3.2x 11.9xmedian 3.2x 10.4xmedian 3.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.84median 0.84 -31.41median 0.84 4.46median 0.84

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 monthsBRNOWPAYX
Revenue $7.48B $15.43B $6.60B
Gross profit $2.38B $11.28B $4.91B
Operating income $1.30B $1.49B $2.59B
Net income $1.12B $1.45B $1.81B
Free cash flow $1.28B $4.75B $1.98B
R&D – $3.47B –
EPS (diluted) $9.60 $1.39 $5.06
Cash & equivalents $402.90M $2.39B $600.90M
Total debt $3.25B $7.52B $4.56B
Shares (diluted) 117.10M 1.04B 356.60M
Enterprise value $19.28B $93.04B $33.87B

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
MetricBRNOWPAYX
P/E 18.3x 107.3x 21.3x
P/FCF 15.8x 32.7x 19.4x
P/Operating cash flow 15.0x 29.2x 17.1x
P/S 2.7x 10.1x 5.8x
P/B 7.1x 11.9x 10.4x
P/Tangible book 12.3x 16.4x 18.5x
EV/EBITDA 14.3x 46.0x 12.9x
EV/EBIT 17.7x 106.1x 16.4x
EV/Revenue 3.1x 10.3x 6.4x
EV/FCF 18.0x 33.4x 21.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.1x 29.7x 18.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.84 -31.41 4.46

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBRNOWPAYX
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.5% 21.8% 14.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.2% 22.1% 9.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.2% 14.1% 16.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.0% 19.2% 10.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 9.4% -14.9% 17.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.6% 32.1% 7.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 33.9% -16.5% 11.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 21.3% -3.1% 4.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 35.3% -16.2% 13.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 21.9% -3.4% 4.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 14.9% 10.2% 8.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 17.8% 21.8% 3.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 13.4% 20.0% 8.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 17.7% 25.9% 1.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBRNOWPAYX
Gross margin 31.8% 73.1% 74.4%
EBITDA margin 21.5% 22.3% 49.8%
Operating margin 17.4% 9.7% 39.2%
Pretax margin 19.3% 13.1% 36.0%
Net margin 15.0% 9.4% 27.4%
FCF margin 17.1% 30.8% 30.0%
Operating cash flow margin 18.0% 34.6% 34.1%
Return on equity 39.7% 11.3% 48.5%
Return on assets 12.7% 4.6% 11.3%
Return on invested capital 16.7% 5.2% 23.7%
Return on capital employed 17.5% 7.5% 27.0%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 3.7x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% 10.4% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBRNOWPAYX
Debt / assets 36.4% 23.6% 29.1%
Debt / equity 1.1x 0.6x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 0.8x 1.2x
Debt / FCF 2.5x 1.6x 2.3x
Liabilities / assets 68.2% 58.9% 76.3%
Equity / assets 31.8% 41.1% 23.7%
Interest coverage – 14.6x 9.7x
Current ratio 1.2x 0.7x 1.3x
Quick ratio 1.1x 0.6x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.4x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 4.06 5.77 3.19

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBRNOWPAYX
Dividend yield 2.3% – 5.3%
Net buyback yield 2.9% 1.7% 1.2%
Shareholder yield 5.1% 1.7% 6.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 90.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 82.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 9.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 10.3%

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.

ConsensusBRNOWPAYX
Forward P/E 17.2xFY2027 38.9xFY2026 17.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.32FY2027 $3.85FY2026 $6.28FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +7.5%FY2027 +9.7%FY2026 +14.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.0% +27.0% -1.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.42BFY2027 $15.25BFY2026 $6.60BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -0.9%FY2027 +14.8%FY2026 +1.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +3.8% +17.7% +12.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBRNOWPAYX
Held by institutions 92.3% 81.6% 82.5%
Institutions holding 1,014 2,224 1,529
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.2% -2.1% +3.4%
Institutions buying 487 1,285 786
Institutions selling 398 779 531
Buyers to sellers 1.22 1.65 1.48

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.

BRNOWPAYX
BR 1.00 0.56 0.61
NOW 0.56 1.00 0.54
PAYX 0.61 0.54 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BR, NOW and PAYX?

ServiceNow (NOW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) $20.65B, ServiceNow (NOW) $113.78B, Paychex (PAYX) $38.79B.

Which stock is cheaper, BR, NOW and PAYX?

Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) 18.4x, ServiceNow (NOW) 78.7x, Paychex (PAYX) 21.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) is cheapest (Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) 17.2x, ServiceNow (NOW) 38.9x, Paychex (PAYX) 17.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

ServiceNow (NOW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) +8.5%, ServiceNow (NOW) +21.8%, Paychex (PAYX) +14.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Paychex (PAYX) has the highest net margin (Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) 15.0%, ServiceNow (NOW) 9.4%, Paychex (PAYX) 27.4%). On return on invested capital, Paychex (PAYX) leads (Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) 16.7%, ServiceNow (NOW) 5.2%, Paychex (PAYX) 23.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Paychex (PAYX) returned the most: Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) -23.0%, ServiceNow (NOW) -20.1%, Paychex (PAYX) -12.8%. Over five years, ServiceNow (NOW) compounded fastest (Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) -0.2%/yr, ServiceNow (NOW) +1.4%/yr, Paychex (PAYX) -2.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) 0.00%, ServiceNow (NOW) 0.00%, Paychex (PAYX) 0.04%. Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) and ServiceNow (NOW) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) has been the steadiest (Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) 30.6%, ServiceNow (NOW) 58.8%, Paychex (PAYX) 31.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BR, NOW and PAYX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, ServiceNow (NOW) leads on 4. 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.