Fact based stock research
Paylocity (NasdaqGS:PCTY)

US70438V1061

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Paylocity stock research in summary

paylocity.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 23 (worse than 77% compared with investment alternatives), Paylocity (Application Software, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Paylocity are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 33 (worse than 67% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 33), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 45), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 23, is a sell recommendation based on Paylocity's financial characteristics. As the company Paylocity's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 33), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 33), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 45), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	33
Growth Rank	33
Safety Rank	45
Combined Rank	23

Country	USA
Industry	Application Software
Index	NASDAQ, S&P MIDCAP
Size class	Large

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Paylocity

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	1	35	57	33
GROWTH
GROWTH	58	77	41	33
SAFETY
SAFETY	82	99	99	45
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	99	94	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	91	88	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Paylocity is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	1	35	57	33
GROWTH
GROWTH	58	77	41	33
SAFETY
SAFETY	82	99	99	45
COMBINED
COMBINED	24	66	66	23

Last update of combined financial performance: 4-Jul-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Paylocity the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 33 (worse than 67% compared with alternatives), Paylocity shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Paylocity. Only Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) indicates good stock value with a rank of 53, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 53% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Paylocity's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 26 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 74% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Paylocity's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 39 and for dividend yield, which is lower than for 99% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 33, is a hold recommendation based on Paylocity's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Can we rely on only one good value indicator? Only if we know the company well. In this case, a high Price-to-Profit Rank, while Price-to-Sales and Price-to-Book are both below the market typical levels, means that the company can charge higher prices for its products and needs less capital to produce them. If this is sustainable, then Paylocity is a good investment because profits count most in enterprise valuations. The low dividend yield indicates that the company is confident it can do something with the generated cash that is more valuable than paying the profits out to the shareholders in the form of dividends. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	9	23	38	26
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	29	56	77	53
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	2	24	46	39
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	1	35	57	33

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Paylocity; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 33 (better than 33% compared with alternatives), Paylocity shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Paylocity. Capital Growth has a rank of 58, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 15% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 59 (above 59% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 41, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 59% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 15. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 33, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for Paylocity, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	62	59	71	41
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	60	51	31	15
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	76	73	58
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	83	71	17	59
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	58	77	41	33

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Paylocity.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 45 (better than 45% compared with alternatives), the company Paylocity has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Paylocity is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators where two out of three are above average for Paylocity.Leverage is at 100, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 100% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 81, meaning that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 81% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 1, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 99% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side regarding debt service. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with alternatives), Paylocity has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. Low leverage and low refinancing risk mean a safer financing situation. However, low liquidity means that current company cash flows are low in relation to the level of debt. This is a sign of caution in case it is expected for profits to remain low. Investors should compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before deciding. They may also want to investigate why cash flows are expected to be low, making debt service for Paylocity more challenging. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	42	100	100	100
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	67	15	31	81
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	100	94	94	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	82	99	99	45

Last update of Safety Rank: 4-Jul-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Paylocity and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	45	74	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	58	46	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	93	81	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	86	83	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	99	94	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Paylocity.
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