Paychex (FRA:PCX) Return-on-Tangible-Equity: Negative Tangible Equity% (As of May. 2026)


FRA:PCX Paychex Inc FRA:PCX
81 GF Score
Price €92.79
GF Value €136.53
Valuation Significantly Undervalued
! 3 Warning Signs
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What is Paychex Return-on-Tangible-Equity?

Paychex FRA:PCX +2.87% 81 Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity% as of May. 2026. GuruFocus rates FRA:PCX with a GF Score™ of 81/100 and a GF Value™ of €136.53 (Significantly Undervalued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 2,470 Software companies, Paychex ranks better than 99.92% on this metric.

Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated as Net Income divided by its average total shareholder tangible equity. Total shareholder tangible equity equals to Total Stockholders Equity minus Intangible Assets. Paychex's annualized net income for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was €1,440 Mil. Paychex's average shareholder tangible equity for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was €-2,016 Mil. Therefore, Paychex's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was Negative Tangible Equity%.

The historical rank and industry rank for Paychex's Return-on-Tangible-Equity or its related term are showing as below:

FRA:PCX' s Return-on-Tangible-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 68.13   Med: 118.51   Max: 200.11
Current: Negative Tangible Equity

During the past 13 years, Paychex's highest Return-on-Tangible-Equity was 200.11%. The lowest was 68.13%. And the median was 118.51%.

FRA:PCX's Return-on-Tangible-Equity is ranked better than
99.92% of 2470 companies
in the Software industry
Industry Median: 8.77 vs FRA:PCX: Negative Tangible Equity

Paychex  (FRA:PCX) Return-on-Tangible-Equity Explanation

Return-on-Tangible-Equity measures the rate of return on the ownership interest (shareholder's tangible equity) of the common stock owners. It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholders' tangible equity (shareholders equity minus intangibles). Return-on-Tangible-Equity shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth. Return-on-Tangible-Equitys between 15% and 20% are considered desirable.


Be Aware

Net Income is used.

Because a company can increase its Return-on-Tangible-Equity by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high Return-on-Tangible-Equity companies. Like Return-on-Tangible-Asset, Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.

Asset light businesses require very few assets to generate very high earnings. Their Return-on-Tangible-Equitys can be extremely high.


Paychex Return-on-Tangible-Equity Related Terms


Paychex Return-on-Tangible-Equity Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Paychex's Return-on-Tangible-Equity can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Paychex Return-on-Tangible-Equity Chart

Paychex Annual Data
Trend May17 May18 May19 May20 May21 May22 May23 May24 May25 May26
Return-on-Tangible-Equity
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 157.39 123.11 106.06 Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity

Paychex Quarterly Data
Aug21 Nov21 Feb22 May22 Aug22 Nov22 Feb23 May23 Aug23 Nov23 Feb24 May24 Aug24 Nov24 Feb25 May25 Aug25 Nov25 Feb26 May26
Return-on-Tangible-Equity Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity Negative Tangible Equity

FRA:PCX vs ROP, WDAY, ADSK: Return-on-Tangible-Equity Comparison

For the Software - Application subindustry, Paychex's Return-on-Tangible-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Return-on-Tangible-Equity data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Paychex Return-on-Tangible-Equity vs Software Industry

For the Software industry and Technology sector, Paychex's Return-on-Tangible-Equity distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Paychex's Return-on-Tangible-Equity falls into.


FRA:PCX
81GF Score
Paychex Inc FRA:PCX
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Paychex Return-on-Tangible-Equity Calculation

Paychex's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the fiscal year that ended in May. 2026 is calculated as

Return-on-Tangible-Equity=Net Income/( (Total Tangible Equity+Total Tangible Equity)/ count )
(A: May. 2026 )  (A: May. 2025 )(A: May. 2026 )
=Net Income/( (Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets+Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets )/ count )
(A: May. 2026 )  (A: May. 2025 )(A: May. 2026 )
=1506.646/( (-2069.726+-2119.712 )/ 2 )
=1506.646/-2094.719
=Negative Tangible Equity %

Paychex's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 is calculated as

Return-on-Tangible-Equity=Net Income/( (Total Tangible Equity+Total Tangible Equity)/ count )
(Q: May. 2026 )  (Q: Feb. 2026 )(Q: May. 2026 )
=Net Income/( (Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets+Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets)/ count )
(Q: May. 2026 )  (Q: Feb. 2026 )(Q: May. 2026 )
=1440.136/( (-1912.975+-2119.712)/ 2 )
=1440.136/-2016.3435
=Negative Tangible Equity %

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

In the calculation of annual Return-on-Tangible-Equity, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total shareholder tangible equity over the fiscal year are used. In calculating the quarterly data, the net income data used here is four times the quarterly (May. 2026) net income data. Return-on-Tangible-Equity is displayed in the 10-year financial page.

What does a Return-on-Tangible-Equity of Negative Tangible Equity% mean?
Paychex (FRA:PCX) has a Return-on-Tangible-Equity of Negative Tangible Equity% as of May. 2026. Return on tangible equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period tangible equity. View historical data on Paychex and its competitors. Over the past decade, Paychex's Return-on-Tangible-Equity has ranged from 68.13 to 200.11. According to the industry distribution chart, Paychex ranks #2 out of 2470 companies in the Software industry, placing it in the top 0.099999999999994%.
Is Paychex's Return-on-Tangible-Equity too high?
Paychex's current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity%. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 68.13 to a high of 200.11. Based on the distribution chart, Paychex ranks #2 out of 2470 companies in the Software industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Paychex has a GF Score™ of 81/100 and is considered Significantly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Paychex's Return-on-Tangible-Equity compare to ROP and WDAY?
According to the Software industry distribution chart, Paychex ranks #2 out of 2470 companies for Return-on-Tangible-Equity. This places Paychex in the top 0% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 8.77. Historically, Paychex's own Return-on-Tangible-Equity has ranged from 68.13 to 200.11 over the past decade. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Return-on-Tangible-Equity for a Software company?
The median Return-on-Tangible-Equity among Software companies is 8.77, based on 2,470 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Return-on-Tangible-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Return-on-Tangible-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Return-on-Tangible-Equity mean?
A high Return-on-Tangible-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on tangible equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period tangible equity. View historical data on Paychex and its competitors. For the Software industry, the median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 8.77 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Paychex's current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Paychex stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Paychex (FRA:PCX) is currently considered Significantly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is €136.53, compared to a current price of €92.79 — trading 32% below its estimated fair value. The current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity%. Paychex's overall GF Score™ is 81/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Return-on-Tangible-Equity calculated?
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Paychex (FRA:PCX), the current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is Negative Tangible Equity% as of May. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Paychex (FRA:PCX) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Paychex stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of €92.79 is trading 32% below its estimated GF Value™ of €136.53. GuruFocus considers Paychex to be Significantly Undervalued.

Key valuation signals for FRA:PCX:

  • Return-on-Tangible-Equity: Negative Tangible Equity%
  • GF Value™: €136.53 vs. price of €92.79 (32% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 81/100 with 3 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the FRA:PCX stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Paychex Business Description

Address 911 Panorama Trail South, Rochester, NY, USA, 14625-2396
Paychex is a cloud-based human capital management provider offering payroll, compliance, talent management, benefits administration, and retirement services. The firm also provides HR outsourcing services, including professional employer organization, or PEO, offerings, enabling clients to reduce HR overhead. Paychex primarily targets small and midsize businesses, although its acquisition of Paycor in 2025 signals the firm's aspirations to expand into the midmarket segment, serving firms with more than 100 employees. As of fiscal 2025, Paychex has approximately 800,000 clients and manages payroll for one in 11 workers in the United States.
81GF Score

Get the complete analysis for FRA:PCX

Return-on-Tangible-Equity is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

€92.79
Price
€136.53
GF Value