Fact based stock research
Paylocity (NasdaqGS:PCTY)

US70438V1061

How to read the ranks

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 66 (better than 66% compared with investment alternatives), Paylocity (Application Software, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Paylocity are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 37) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 99), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 66, is a buy recommendation based on Paylocity's financial characteristics. As the company Paylocity's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 45) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 37), 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. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 99) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for 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	45
Growth Rank	37
Safety Rank	99
Combined Rank	66

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

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

18-Apr-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	45
GROWTH
GROWTH	58	77	41	37
SAFETY
SAFETY	82	99	99	99
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	99	94	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	91	88	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 18-Apr-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2023. 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	45
GROWTH
GROWTH	58	77	41	37
SAFETY
SAFETY	82	99	99	99
COMBINED
COMBINED	24	66	66	66

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. 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 45 (worse than 55% 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 71, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 71% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Paylocity's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 39 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 61% 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 35 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 45, 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	39
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	29	56	77	71
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	2	24	46	35
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	1	35	57	45

Last update of Value Rank: 18-Apr-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 37 (better than 37% 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 three out of four indicators below average for Paylocity. Only Capital Growth has a good rank of 72, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 45% of its competitors. The other three indicators are pointing South: Sales Growth has a rank of 49 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 51% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 45 and Stock Returns with a rank of 28 are also low (below 72% of alternative investments). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 37, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The good news from the invested capital side is surprising. A company with disappointing revenues, profits, and disappointed shareholders typically doesn't invest above average. Overall, the growth momentum for Paylocity is thus negative. As it is intriguing to see that company executives are optimistic about their investment policy, it is worthwhile looking into the details of the capital investment projects. They may indicate future growth and profits and thus if accompanied by a good value, a sign of good timing to invest in the 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 limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	62	59	71	49
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	60	51	31	45
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	76	73	72
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	83	71	17	28
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	58	77	41	37

Last update of Growth Rank: 18-Apr-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 99 (better than 99% compared with alternatives) for 2022, the company Paylocity has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Paylocity is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Paylocity. Leverage is at a rank of 100, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 100% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 94, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 94% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 31, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 69% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 99 (better than 99% compared with alternatives), Paylocity has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Paylocity. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with Paylocity and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

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

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. 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: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Paylocity.
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