Paycom (PAYC)
Information Technology · Human Capital Management (HCM) software · NYSE
Paycom provides a comprehensive, single-database cloud HCM platform that streamlines HR and payroll processes for businesses of all sizes.
What Paycom does
Paycom Software provides a cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software solution that offers functionality for the entire employee lifecycle. Its unified platform includes applications for payroll processing, time and attendance, talent acquisition, human resources management, and talent management. The company delivers its services through a single-database software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
Themes: human resources software, payroll automation, cloud HCM, SaaS, employee lifecycle management
Fundamentals
- Price$229.90 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$10.4B as of 2026-07-28 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return+12.1% 2025-10-08 close $205.08 → 2026-10-08 close $229.90
- P/E26.59 as of 2026-10-08
- Net margin+22.1% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Gross margin+83.2% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- ROE+26.2% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity0.83 as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue growth (YoY)+9.4% as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+14.3% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.76 as of 2026-09-02
- Last reported earnings2026-08-05 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +0.7%; at least 3 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How PAYC compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 253 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-10-08
- net profit margintop 25% 380 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-09-02
- operating margintop 10% 375 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-09-02
- gross margintop 10% 311 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-09-02
- return on equitytop 25% 370 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-09-02
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 385 covered Information Technology peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 108 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-09-02
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 382 covered Information Technology peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Information Technology companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
PAYC is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Top 10 score
64.2 #118 of 1,379 scored · #26 of 203 in Information Technology
Profitability 85th (operating margin 27.6%, return on equity 26.2%) and trend 77th (trading above its 200-day average); weakest is valuation (39th, price to book 18.1, price to earnings 26.6).
Scores as of 8 Oct 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 4.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, PAYC's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 19%, free-cash-flow payout 21%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout19% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout21% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How Paycom looks technically
Paycom (PAYC) is trading 47.0% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 43 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 25, with buyers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 59, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It just made a new 20-day high, its first since 2026-09-04, pushing above its recent trading range. Day-to-day price swings are unusually narrow versus its own recent history — a "Bollinger squeeze" (in the tightest 1% of the past ~6 months), which often precedes a bigger move.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 47.0% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +47.0% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $218.73 | $218.73 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $156.35 | $156.35 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 9 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 9 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed three-part downward correction — a pullback in the A-B-C shape Elliott-wave chartists use; the labelling fails if price closes below 212.4. It is the only labelling that fits, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible three-wave downward correction, complete |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 43 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 43 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 25, with buyers in control | 25.1 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 59, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 59.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the top of its 14-day range ($212.40 to $232.86) — its "stochastic" reading is 86 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 85.5 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 29 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $244.98 | $244.98 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 6.2% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -6.2% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 115.3% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +115.3% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 6.2% below its highest point of the past year | 6.2% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it just made a new 20-day high, its first since 2026-09-04, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 25 trading days ago | 25 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $558.97 (set on 2021-11-02) | $558.97 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($113.59 to $240.52), and it has given back only a small part of its rise from last year’s low — 8% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $158.02 to $162.08. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 8.4% |
| From the all-time high | it is 58.9% below its all-time high | -58.9% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 1.2% above a support level at $227.15 — a price it turned at four times since 2024-12-04, most recently on 2025-09-11. Since 2024-10-08 it has 9 such levels below the current price and 3 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -1.2% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $12.28 (set on 2014-07-21) | $12.28 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 1772.1% above its all-time low | +1,772% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are unusually narrow versus its own recent history — a "Bollinger squeeze" (in the tightest 1% of the past ~6 months), which often precedes a bigger move | 0th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $7.23 between its high and its low — about 3.1% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $7.23 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $216.71 and $230.21 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $216.71 – $223.46 – $230.21 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.1% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.1% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 10.2 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (47.0% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 10.2 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.91× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have cut their average price target by 0.5% since the prior reading | -0.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating has softened toward "sell" since the prior reading | 0.07 toward sell |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 at essentially the same price it closed at the session before — no meaningful overnight gap | +0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 3.7% above the previous close 5 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 217.65 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +3.6% |
| Gap filled | a 2.5% gap down opened on 2026-09-29 has been "filled" 6 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 6 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed higher 2 sessions in a row, a +3.35% move over the run — an unbroken run of up days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 2 sessions up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 3.9 percentage points (the stock gained 4.9% while the market gained 1.0%) | +3.9% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 62.2 percentage points (the stock gained 66.0% while the market gained 3.8%) | +62.2% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 69.5 percentage points (the stock gained 87.0% while the market gained 17.5%) | +69.5% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 2.9 percentage points (the stock gained 12.1% while the market gained 15.0%) | -2.9% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 6 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day high, a strong uptrend, with buyers in control, outperforming the market over 6 months, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 6 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: MACD momentum is negative, near the top of its 14-day range (overbought) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 6.7% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is thick, spanning 14.5% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that has held for a while and takes effort to cross. | +6.7% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 55% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $148.01 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 191 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +55.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 4% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-05 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $222.13 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 46 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +3.5% |
Price levels it has turned at before
PAYC last closed at $229.90 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 9 prices below its last close and 3 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $227.15 | Support | 1.2% below the last close | turned there four times · 2024-12-04 to 2025-09-11 |
| $234.94 | Resistance | 2.2% above the last close | turned there five times · 2024-11-06 to 2026-09-22 |
| $217.81 | Support | 5.3% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-01-28 to 2025-07-14 |
| $242.62 | Resistance | 5.5% above the last close | turned there three times · 2024-12-11 to 2026-09-03 |
| $213.52 | Support | 7.1% below the last close | turned there 7 times · 2024-11-19 to 2026-09-29 |
| $262.18 | Resistance | 14.0% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-05-13 to 2025-05-22 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a three-part downward correction — the A-B-C shape chartists use for a pullback — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $212.40.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones.
This reading has stood for 3 trading days, since 2026-10-06.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Broke out to a new 20-day high · in a Bollinger Band volatility squeeze · in a strong, established uptrend (ADX) · beating the market · Stretched far above its 200-day average (6+ daily ranges) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · bollinger bands
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingHold (2.52 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 17 analysts
- Mean price target$217.76 range $160.00 – $285.00; median $210.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-04. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for PAYC
- Consensus EPS estimate$2.80 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-04
- Estimate change, 30 days+$0.00132 (+0.0%) from $2.79, on 2026-08-30, 35-day window
- Readings revised upward25% of 8 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["The HCM software market is highly competitive, and the company may not be able to differentiate its platform or maintain growth in the face of established competitors.","The company's business model relies on its cloud-based platform; any significant disruption, security breach, or failure of its systems or data centers could harm its reputation and business."]
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
0 open-market purchases and 3 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 90 days · read to 2026-10-040 buys · 3 sells ($670163) — 1 selling insider
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-040 buys · 4 sells ($1M) — 2 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-08-28. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about PAYC's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
U.S. House trading disclosures
U.S. House members publicly disclose their own, their spouse's, and dependent children's stock transactions under the STOCK Act. We hold 5 matched disclosures for PAYC from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings.
U.S. House trading disclosures →Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding PAYC as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 7,627,878
- Reported value $958,671,680
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 1 new, 1 increased, 3 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about PAYC's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
PAYC had 2,655,517 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
PAYC had 5.89% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 3.53 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 2,655,517
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 5.89%
- Prior settlement (shares) 2,367,261
- Reported change 12.18%
- Days to cover (reported) 3.53
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- ADP (ADP)
- Workday (WDAY)
- Ceridian (now Dayforce) (DAY)
- Paylocity (PCTY)
- UKG
- Oracle (ORCL)
- SAP (SAP)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Paycom (PAYC) do?
Paycom Software provides a cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software solution that offers functionality for the entire employee lifecycle. Its unified platform includes applications for payroll processing, time and attendance, talent acquisition, human resources management, and talent management. The company delivers its services through a single-database software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
What sector is Paycom (PAYC) in?
Paycom (PAYC) is classified in the Information Technology sector. Its industry is Human Capital Management (HCM) software. It trades on NYSE.
Does PAYC pay a dividend?
Yes — Paycom (PAYC) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 0.67% and at least 3 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-09-02). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are Paycom's (PAYC) competitors?
Notable peers of Paycom (PAYC) include ADP, Workday, Ceridian (now Dayforce), Paylocity and UKG. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Has there been recent U.S. House stock trading in PAYC?
Yes — we hold 5 matched STOCK Act disclosures for PAYC from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings. These are legally-required disclosures (often filed 30–45 days after the trade), may belong to a U.S. House member, their spouse, or a dependent child, and are not an indicator of company performance or investment advice.
Is Paycom (PAYC) overbought or oversold right now?
Paycom (PAYC) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 59, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on PAYC come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-02; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.