2026-10-25
Paylocity clears the business-activity screen and the figures we can measure look clean, but one or more financial figures are still pending, so the verdict is not final yet.
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The Screen · Technology · Software - Application
Paylocity Holding Corporation
PCTY · Nasdaq · USD · Market cap $8.9B · 6,700 employees
Paylocity Holding Corporation provides cloud-based human capital management, payroll software, and spend management solutions for the workforce in the United States.
Not yet scored169.57 USD
Price as of 5 Nov 2026Daily close, not a live quote
Screened 2026-11-05 · the tape above runs as of 18:01 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
Key facts today
- Price169.57 USD at the 5 Nov 2026 close
- Our value readUndervalued vs our fair value, as of 5 Nov 2026
- Our regime readAccumulation, as of 5 Nov 2026
- Ethical screenNot yet scored
- OptionsOpen interest leans heavily to calls (put/call 0.02)
- Last reviewed5 Nov 2026 (1 days ago)
- Release timesRelease and earnings times on your chart: Event Guard Mentor
A summary of the dated readings below, not a live quote and not advice.
PRICE · ONE YEAR
Our fair-value range: $188.79 to $314.65, base estimate $215.36 (screen dated 2026-11-05).
- Trend Accumulation
- Insiders insiders sold, $17,023, latest filing 2026-10-28
- Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
- Options put/call open interest 0.02, read 2026-11-05
- Ethical screen not yet scored
Price169.57 USD
Fair value215.36
Ethical score70.0/100
Value readUndervaluedas of 5 Nov 2026
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-11Read Accumulation146.60+15.7% to today ✓Markdown gives way to Accumulation
2026-10-02Read Markdown146.60+15.7% to today Accumulation gives way to Markdown with volume flow in agreement
2026-09-09Read Accumulation152.24+11.4% to today ✓Markup gives way to Accumulation after a 40% rise in 10 weeks
2026-07-02Read Markup108.84+55.8% to today ✓First review on file: Markup
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
The full research record, in depth, below
This name holds its accumulation label.
Paylocity Holding Corporation holds its Accumulation at $169.57. The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 18 days.
| Phase | Accumulation |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 18 days |
| Price at the screen | $169.57 |
| Valuation | 34.75 trailing · 17.66 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | Not scored · score 70.0 |
| Beta | 0.41 |
Five Screens, Shown in Full
This security has not been fully scored against the values screen yet.
| Test | Figure | Limit | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Permissible | Core business clean | Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. | Pass |
| Debt load | 4.96% | Below 33% | Interest-bearing debt is just 5.0% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money. | Pass |
| Interest-bearing cash | 0.00% | Below 33% | Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. | Pass |
| Receivables | 9.65% | Below 49% | Money owed to the company is 9.6% of assets, under the 49% limit. | Pass |
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical ReadThe Read, in Plain English
Paylocity clears the business-activity screen and the figures we can measure look clean, but one or more financial figures are still pending, so the verdict is not final yet.
Read as at 2026-11-05. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
2026-09-24
Clears
Paylocity clears all five screens. Its business is in a permissible area, its interest-bearing debt is about 5%, inside the ~33% line, and almost none of its income is interest, so it passes.
Earlier reads, kept as written. The ethical profile is tracked over time, not overwritten.
What the Numbers Say It Is WorthThe Fair Value Range
Our analysis reads Undervalued vs our fair value, as of 5 Nov 2026: it trades at roughly a 21% discount to our $215.36 fair value, 11.00% revenue growth.
How a fair value is estimated: discounted cash flow (DCF).
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-11-05 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 21.3% discount to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 20 covering, consensus Strong Buy. The average target sits +6% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere our models see it going: fair-value estimate $215.36, with a range of $188.79 to $314.65, dated to the 2026-11-05 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain WordsPayroll software runs every payday but this one stays ordinary
Every business needs to pay its staff on time and keep the tax rules straight, and Paylocity supplies the cloud tools that handle payroll, benefits and spending for US firms. Revenue grows at 10 percent, margins sit at 15 percent and return on equity reaches 22 percent, yet none of these figures marks the company out from the pack. The ethical screen clears without issue, but the opportunity rating stays at none, so we pass.
The forward multiple of 14.5 times looks reasonable beside the growth rate, and nineteen analysts see a median target of 143 dollars against the current 126. Our own fair value sits higher at 178.75, yet that gap alone does not create a compelling case when the underlying business shows no standout edge or widening moat.
Risk sits in steady competition from larger payroll platforms and slower adoption among mid-sized clients, which could cap the 10 percent growth rate without warning. Currency and sector cycles add little here, but modest expansion leaves little room for error if hiring slows. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 17.7xpriced for continued growth |
| Trailing P/E | 34.7xa premium valuation |
| EPS, trailing | 4.92 |
| EPS, forward | 9.68 |
| Revenue growth | +11.0%steady growth |
| Profit margin | 15.2%healthy profit margins |
| Return on equity | 22.0%an exceptional return on shareholder capital |
| FCF yield | 4.03% |
| Debt to equity | 0.11minimal debt: a conservative balance sheet |
| Current ratio | 1.09adequate liquidity, worth monitoring |
| Beta | 0.41barely tracks the market's swings |
| Short interest, float | 0.07% |
| 52-week range | 92.99 - 178.53 |
| Market cap | $8.9B |
| Employees | 6,700 |
Another profit measure, before interest, tax and non-cash costs: EBITDA.
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to TradePCTY trades on Nasdaq. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
Every Entry, As Written
2026-11-05
Accumulation $170.96
-0.1% Entry 17
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-04
Accumulation $171.12
+0.1% Entry 16
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 0.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-03
Accumulation $170.91
+0.0% Entry 15
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-02
Accumulation $170.91
+0.0% Entry 14
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-01
Accumulation $170.91
-3.5% Entry 13
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 3.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-31
Accumulation $177.19
+0.0% Entry 12
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-30
Accumulation $177.19
+0.0% Entry 11
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-29
Accumulation $177.19
+4.2% Entry 10
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 4.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-25
Accumulation $170.06
+2.3% Entry 9
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 2.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter.
2026-10-18
Accumulation $166.25
+13.4% Entry 8
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 13.4% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 40%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (20 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $153.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
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| Date | Insider | Title | Type | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-28 | Sarowitz Steven I | Dir, 10% | S - Sale | 100 | $17,023 |
| 2026-10-27 | Sarowitz Steven I | Dir, 10% | S - Sale | 8,900 | $1,524,666 |
| 2026-10-26 | Sarowitz Steven I | Dir, 10% | S - Sale | 13,700 | $2,411,869 |
| 2026-10-22 | Sarowitz Steven I | Dir, 10% | S - Sale | 20,926 | $3,698,801 |
| 2026-10-21 | Sarowitz Steven I | Dir, 10% | S - Sale | 5,744 | $978,108 |
| 2026-10-20 | Sarowitz Steven I | Dir, 10% | S - Sale | 10,617 | $1,802,346 |
| 2026-10-16 | Sarowitz Steven I | Dir, 10% | S - Sale | 5,500 | $913,279 |
| 2026-10-15 | Beauchamp Steven R | Exec COB | S - Sale | 15,000 | $2,478,270 |
| 2026-10-15 | Sarowitz Steven I | Dir, 10% | S - Sale | 17,694 | $2,933,728 |
Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $109.88 | +1.8% | · | $1,018 | +1.8% |
| 2 months | $95.10 | +17.6% | · | $1,176 | +17.6% |
| 3 months | $110.52 | +1.2% | · | $1,012 | +1.2% |
| 6 months | $149.22 | -25.1% | · | $749 | -25.1% |
| 1 year | $186.95 | -40.2% | · | $598 | -40.2% |
| 2 years | $139.54 | -19.9% | · | $801 | -19.9% |
| 3 years | $182.44 | -38.7% | · | $613 | -38.7% |
| 5 years | $176.38 | -36.6% | · | $634 | -36.6% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever PCTY does next, these words stay.
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