NOW vs PCTY vs SAP Stock Comparison

ServiceNow, Paylocity Holding and Sap Se Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
NOW ServiceNow, Inc.
$154.83 +14.2% 1M -18.2% 1Y
Market cap
$160.09B
P/E
95.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.73B
Div. yield
–
Business Process Automation Technology
1 win
PCTY Paylocity Holding Corp
$170.07 +18.6% 1M +12.3% 1Y
Market cap
$9.06B
P/E
34.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.77B
Div. yield
–
HR Software Technology
3 wins
SAP Sap Se
$235.80 +11.9% 1M -13.4% 1Y
Market cap
$289.68B
P/E
28.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$45.76B
Div. yield
1.25%
ERP Software Technology
7 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Sap Se leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Sap Se 7, Paylocity Holding 3, ServiceNow 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionNOWPCTYSAPLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $160.09B $9.06B $289.68B SAP
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 95.6x 34.1x 28.8x SAP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 40.2x 20.6x 27.7x PCTY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +22.2% +11.0% +13.5% NOW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.3% 15.2% 20.8% SAP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 21.0% 35.6% SAP
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x -0.4x -0.4x SAP
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — — 1.25% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -18.2% +12.3% -13.4% PCTY
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.4%/yr -10.8%/yr +9.8%/yr SAP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 58.7% 42.2% 39.3% SAP
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 52/100 64/100 63/100 PCTY

Percentile Scorecard

NOWPCTYSAP

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

AxisNOWPCTYSAP
Valuation 27 #74 of 101 54 #47 of 101 52 #49 of 101
Growth 58 #41 of 97 65 #35 of 97 68 #32 of 97
Profitability 82 #18 of 94 87 #13 of 94 91 #9 of 94
Financial Health 50 #55 of 108 56 #48 of 108 77 #26 of 108
Shareholder Returns 41 #38 of 64 60 #26 of 64 29 #46 of 64
Overall 52 64 63
  • NOW ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications
  • PCTY ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications
  • SAP ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodNOWPCTYSAPSPY
1 month +14.2%+18.6%+11.9% -0.2%
3 months +40.0%+22.6%+31.6% +3.9%
6 months +71.1%+66.3%+35.9% +8.2%
Year to date +1.1%+11.5%-2.9% +12.9%
1 year -18.2%+12.3%-13.4% +12.3%
3 years +39.7%-2.5%+79.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year +11.8%-0.8%+21.5% +23.3%
5 years +12.6%-43.6%+59.9% +67.9%
5 years, per year +2.4%-10.8%+9.8% +10.9%
10 years +811.3%+295.4%+169.0% +261.1%
10 years, per year +24.7%+14.7%+10.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureNOWPCTYSAPSPY
Volatility, 1Y 58.7%42.2%39.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 61.3%41.6%40.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.61-0.150.63 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.310.29-0.34 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -64.5%-68.9%-53.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.2%-4.3%-13.4% -1.2%
52-week high $189.26$177.67$272.16 $779.14
52-week low $83.00$95.10$146.09 $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.

MultipleNOWPCTYSAP
P/E now vs peer median 95.6xmedian 28.3x 34.1xmedian 28.3x 28.8xmedian 28.3x
P/S now vs peer median 10.9xmedian 2.8x 5.1xmedian 2.8x 6.3xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 47.7xmedian 17.3x 17.8xmedian 17.3x 11.9xmedian 17.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 35.0xmedian 15.8x 18.2xmedian 15.8x 27.9xmedian 15.8x
P/B now vs peer median 12.8xmedian 3.2x 7.4xmedian 3.2x 5.5xmedian 3.2x
PEG now vs peer median 18.40median 0.85 1.33median 0.85 1.80median 0.85

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 monthsNOWPCTYSAP
Revenue $14.73B $1.77B $45.76B
Gross profit $11.02B $1.23B $33.40B
Operating income $1.68B $385.99M $22.06B
Net income $1.67B $269.74M $9.47B
Free cash flow $4.58B $497.10M $10.40B
R&D $3.26B $221.39M $8.26B
EPS (diluted) $1.61 $4.92 $8.11
Cash & equivalents $2.50B $271.92M $10.62B
Total debt $7.52B $81.25M $9.68B
Shares (diluted) 1.03B 54.77M 1.18B
Enterprise value $138.55B $8.16B $217.66B

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
MetricNOWPCTYSAP
P/E 95.6x 34.1x 28.8x
P/FCF 35.0x 18.2x 27.9x
P/Operating cash flow 30.2x 17.0x 25.2x
P/S 10.9x 5.1x 6.3x
P/B 12.8x 7.4x 5.5x
P/Tangible book 18.3x 8.0x 5.8x
EV/EBITDA 47.7x 17.8x 11.9x
EV/EBIT 97.0x 23.0x 12.7x
EV/Revenue 11.1x 5.0x 6.1x
EV/FCF 35.6x 17.8x 26.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 30.7x 16.6x 24.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 18.40 1.33 1.80

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNOWPCTYSAP
Revenue growth (1Y) 22.2% 11.0% 13.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 22.5% 14.7% 11.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.4% 11.7% 12.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 20.5% 14.9% 12.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 4.9% 27.0% 30.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 49.1% 35.5% 52.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 0.5% 18.8% 18.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 24.2% 16.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 1.7% 22.6% 22.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 25.6% 16.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.0% 27.5% 43.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.2% 23.6% 19.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.0% 22.7% 43.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.7% 24.0% 20.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNOWPCTYSAP
Gross margin 74.8% 69.2% 73.0%
EBITDA margin 23.2% 28.1% 51.5%
Operating margin 11.4% 21.8% 48.2%
Pretax margin 15.9% 21.9% 29.2%
Net margin 11.3% 15.2% 20.8%
FCF margin 31.1% 28.1% 22.7%
Operating cash flow margin 36.0% 30.1% 25.1%
Return on equity 13.8% 22.5% 18.5%
Return on assets 6.0% 5.2% 11.2%
Return on invested capital – 21.0% 35.6%
Return on capital employed 10.6% 22.1% 34.0%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.3x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.2x 2.0x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 12.3% 7.8% 3.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNOWPCTYSAP
Debt / assets 23.7% 1.7% 11.2%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.1x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x -0.4x -0.4x
Debt / FCF 1.6x 0.2x 0.9x
Liabilities / assets 60.5% 75.0% 39.1%
Equity / assets 39.5% 25.0% 60.9%
Interest coverage – – 8.3x
Current ratio 0.7x 1.1x 1.2x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.1x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.1x 0.9x
Altman Z-score 5.78 2.52 7.48

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNOWPCTYSAP
Dividend yield – – 1.2%
Net buyback yield 2.0% 4.3% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 2.0% 4.3% 1.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

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.

ConsensusNOWPCTYSAP
Forward P/E 40.2xFY2026 20.6xFY2027 27.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.85FY2026 $8.25FY2027 $8.52FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.7%FY2026 -0.7%FY2027 +16.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +27.0% +13.7% +4.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $15.25BFY2026 $1.94BFY2027 $42.86BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.8%FY2026 +9.6%FY2027 -2.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +17.7% -1.6% +14.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNOWPCTYSAP
Held by institutions 81.6% 85.3% 7.2%
Institutions holding 2,224 466 820
Change in shares held, QoQ -2.1% +2.3% -3.0%
Institutions buying 1,285 273 459
Institutions selling 779 154 245
Buyers to sellers 1.65 1.77 1.87

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.

NOWPCTYSAP
NOW 1.00 0.64 0.72
PCTY 0.64 1.00 0.58
SAP 0.72 0.58 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NOW, PCTY and SAP?

Sap Se (SAP) is the largest by market capitalisation: ServiceNow (NOW) $160.09B, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) $9.06B, Sap Se (SAP) $289.68B.

Which stock is cheaper, NOW, PCTY and SAP?

Sap Se (SAP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (ServiceNow (NOW) 95.6x, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 34.1x, Sap Se (SAP) 28.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) is cheapest (ServiceNow (NOW) 40.2x, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 20.6x, Sap Se (SAP) 27.7x). 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: ServiceNow (NOW) +22.2%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) +11.0%, Sap Se (SAP) +13.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Sap Se (SAP) has the highest net margin (ServiceNow (NOW) 11.3%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 15.2%, Sap Se (SAP) 20.8%). On return on invested capital, Sap Se (SAP) leads (Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 21.0%, Sap Se (SAP) 35.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Paylocity Holding (PCTY) returned the most: ServiceNow (NOW) -18.2%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) +12.3%, Sap Se (SAP) -13.4%. Over five years, Sap Se (SAP) compounded fastest (ServiceNow (NOW) +2.4%/yr, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) -10.8%/yr, Sap Se (SAP) +9.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Sap Se (SAP) 1.25%. ServiceNow (NOW) and Paylocity Holding (PCTY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Sap Se (SAP) has been the steadiest (ServiceNow (NOW) 58.7%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 42.2%, Sap Se (SAP) 39.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NOW, PCTY and SAP?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Sap Se (SAP) leads on 7. 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.