ADP (Automatic Data Processing Inc) vs S&P 500 Comparison

ADP

S&P 500

Compare the stock's returns with its benchmark index and competitors. Gain insights into its relative performance over time.

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ADP

S&P 500

Difference

1Y 3Y 5Y 10Y 15Y 20Y

ADP

S&P 500

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Compare the stock's returns with its benchmark index and competitors. Gain insights into its relative performance over time.

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S&P 500

ADP

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Compare the stock's returns with its benchmark index and competitors. Gain insights into its relative performance over time.

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Automatic Data Processing Inc
Glance View

Economic Moat

None

Market Cap

119B USD

Industry

Technology

Automatic Data Processing Inc., commonly known as ADP, has carved a niche for itself as a heavyweight in workplace management solutions, with roots that trace back to the back-office needs of payroll processing. The journey began humbly in 1949 when Henry Taub founded the company with the ambition of helping businesses streamline their payroll tasks. Through the years, ADP expanded its capabilities and infused technological advancements into its core services, positioning itself at the forefront of human capital management. The company’s evolution is marked by its ability to adapt and expand beyond just payroll, offering comprehensive solutions like human resources management, talent management, and tax and compliance services. ADP's business model revolves around leveraging its vast client network—spanning small businesses to multinational corporations—to provide subscription-based, cloud-hosted solutions that facilitate seamless HR operations. By offering a suite of products that cater to different aspects of workforce management, such as time tracking, benefit administration, and talent analytics, ADP generates a steady stream of revenue through service subscriptions and client-related add-ons. Its focus on innovation and customer-centric solutions ensures the company meets the ever-evolving demands of modern businesses. Through these diversified offerings, ADP secures its foothold as an indispensable partner for organizations looking to optimize their workforce administration, ensuring compliance and efficiency in an increasingly complex corporate landscape.

View ADP Analysis

ADP Intrinsic Value

What is Intrinsic Value?

Economic Moat is a concept popularized by Warren Buffett to describe a company's durable competitive advantage. It represents the 'moat' that protects a company from competitors and helps it sustain profitability over the long term. Our analysis of the past 10 years showed that companies with a wide economic moat significantly outperformed the market, delivering +645% returns compared to +189% for the S&P 500.

Our research into Economic Moat performance spans the past 10 years and focuses on companies with a wide economic moat. For this analysis, we calculated the average stock price returns of these companies, comparing them to the performance of the S&P 500 index over the same period.

The results were compelling: wide moat stocks achieved a remarkable +645% average return, compared to +188% for the broader market. This difference highlights the long-term benefits of investing in businesses that can maintain their market position and pricing power over time.

Note: This research does not account for survivorship bias. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Determining whether a company has an economic moat requires both a deep dive into financial metrics and a qualitative assessment of its competitive position. Our analysts conduct a rigorous evaluation that focuses on identifying structural advantages that enable a company to sustain profitability and defend its market share over the long term.

The process begins with an analysis of a company’s historical financial performance. We assess how consistently the company has generated returns above its cost of capital and whether those returns have been stable or improving. However, financial performance alone doesn’t reveal the full picture. To understand the sources of these advantages, we evaluate five key drivers of economic moats:

Network Effect: We analyze whether the value of a company’s product or service grows as its user base expands. Platforms like payment systems or marketplaces benefit from this self-reinforcing.

Switching Costs: We assess whether customers face significant costs or disruptions when switching to a competitor’s product or service. High switching costs create customer stickiness and provide pricing power.

Intangible Assets: Strong brands, patents, and regulatory licenses can protect a company’s market position by creating barriers for competitors or enabling premium pricing. For example, a well-recognized consumer brand may command higher customer loyalty and margins.

Efficient scale: Occurs when a market is optimally served by one or a few players, making it unprofitable for new entrants to compete. This typically happens in industries with high fixed costs or geographic constraints, such as utilities or pipelines.

Cost Advantage: Companies with structural cost advantages can produce goods or services at a lower cost than their competitors, enabling them to offer competitive pricing or maintain higher margins. These advantages often arise from economies of scale, superior supply chain management, or proprietary technology. Firms like Walmart leverage their massive scale to negotiate better terms with suppliers, allowing them to undercut competitors on price.

By examining these factors in combination with a company’s financial performance and market positioning, we classify each company into one of three categories:

This rigorous evaluation ensures that our moat ratings are both comprehensive and reliable, giving investors the tools they need to make well-informed, long-term decisions.

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ADP

vs

S&P 500

Stocks Performance
ADP vs S&P 500

Performance Gap
ADP vs S&P 500

Performance By Year
ADP vs S&P 500

Competitors Performance
Automatic Data Processing Inc vs Peers

Automatic Data Processing Inc
Glance View

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ADP vs S&P 500

Stocks Performance ADP vs S&P 500

Performance Gap ADP vs S&P 500

Performance By Year ADP vs S&P 500

Competitors Performance Automatic Data Processing Inc vs Peers

Automatic Data Processing Inc Glance View

Company

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Stocks

ADP

vs

S&P 500

Stocks Performance
ADP vs S&P 500

Performance Gap
ADP vs S&P 500

Performance By Year
ADP vs S&P 500

Competitors Performance
Automatic Data Processing Inc vs Peers

Automatic Data Processing Inc
Glance View