Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Can I have your opinion of Paychex Inc. on Nasdaq. It looks like a good company. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Paychex Inc., $59.24, symbol PAYX on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 360.5 million; Market cap: $21.2 billion; www.paychex.com), provides a range of human resources and payroll services, including accounting, salary deposits and automatic tax payment and filing. The company’s 605,000 clients are mostly small- and medium-sized businesses (10 to 200 employees). It operates about 100 offices in 41 U.S. states, as well as Germany and Brazil. Paychex gets 60% of its revenue from payroll services. The remaining 40% comes from several service areas: human resources outsourcing; employee benefits solutions, including managing health insurance programs and pension plans; and accounting and payment-processing services. In its 2016 fiscal year, which ended May 31, 2016, the company’s revenue rose 7.8%, to $3.0 billion from $2.7 billion the previous year. Earnings gained 12.1%, to $756.8 million, or $2.09 a share, from $674.9 million, or $1.85. Paychex is debt-free and holds cash of $793.2 million, or $2.20 a share. It recently raised its quarterly dividend by 9.5%, to $0.46 a..