Despite falling between 10% and 42% in 2023, Nike, MarketAxess, Paycom Software, and The Hershey Company remain strong dividend growers with promising long-term potential. Nike's dominant brand and growth in passive income make it an attractive buy, while MarketAxess's focus on digital bond trading and dividend growth offer potential for investors. Paycom's cloud-based HCM tools and budding dividend growth story make it an intriguing choice, and Hershey's profitability, brand power, and industry leadership position it well for the future.
Paycom Software's stock (PAYC) plummeted by 38.5% after reporting a revenue miss for the third quarter and providing weak sales guidance for 2024. The company attributed the weak results to cannibalization of services revenue and acknowledged the challenges it faces in a competitive human capital management market. Paycom's earnings for Q3 were $1.77 per share, up 39% YoY, with revenue increasing by 22% to $406.3 million. However, the company's outlook for 2024 predicts revenue growth of only 10% to 12%, significantly lower than consensus estimates of 21% growth. The disappointing report also affected shares of Paylocity Holding, Paychex, and Workday.
Paycom Software's stock plummeted by over a third after the company's weak fourth-quarter revenue forecast fell short of estimates. The Oklahoma City-based payroll processor's shares were down 36% in premarket trading, resulting in a potential market capitalization loss of over $5 billion. Paycom attributed the revenue shortfall to increased usage of its flagship product, Beti, which led to the elimination of certain billable items. Several brokerages have lowered their price targets on the stock, and competitors Ceridian HCM Holding and Automatic Data Processing also experienced stock declines.
First Republic Bank (FRC) was the biggest loser on the S&P 500, crashing 47% to a record low as it becomes the new epicenter in the bank crisis. Microsoft, Paycom Software, Intel, and Illumina also fell modestly, rounding out Monday's five biggest S&P 500 decliners. The S&P 500 index rose 0.9% on Monday, back above its 200-day moving average.
