Paylocity HoldingPCTY -1.16%75 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 457.22% as of Mar. 2026, which is 511% above its 10-year median of 74.87. GuruFocus rates PCTY with a GF Score™ of 75/100 and a GF Value™ of $226.17 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 2,800 Software companies, Paylocity Holding ranks better than 88.79% on this metric.
Joel Greenblatt defined Return on Capital differently in his book The Little Book That Still Beats the Market (Little Books. Big Profits). He defines ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % as EBIT divided by the total of Property, Plant and Equipment and net working capital. Paylocity Holding's annualized ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 457.22%.
The historical rank and industry rank for Paylocity Holding's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % or its related term are showing as below:
PCTY'
s ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -16.57 Med: 74.87 Max: 327.42
Current: 299.7
During the past 13 years, Paylocity Holding's highest ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % was 327.42%. The lowest was -16.57%. And the median was 74.87%.
PCTY's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is ranked better than 88.79% of 2800
companies
in the Software industry
Industry Median: 19.625
vs PCTY: 299.70
Paylocity Holding's 5-Year average Growth Rate of ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % was 44.70% per year.
The way Joel Greenblatt defines Return on Capital is a more accurate measure of how efficiently the company generates returns onthe capital actually invested in the business. EBIT is used instead of net income because the tax and interest payment may be affected by factors other than the core business operation. Intangible assets are not included in the calculation because they don't need to be replaced.
Paylocity Holding ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Related Terms
Paylocity Holding ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Paylocity Holding's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % 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.
PCTY vs DUOL, NAVN, CVLT: ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Comparison
For the Software - Application subindustry, Paylocity Holding's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % 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.
Paylocity Holding ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % vs Software Industry
For the Software industry and Technology sector, Paylocity Holding's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Paylocity Holding's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % falls into.
Joel Greenblatt defined Return on Capital differently in his book The Little Book That Still Beats the Market (Little Books. Big Profits) . He defines Return on Capital as follows:
EBIT stands for Earnings Before Interest and Taxes.
Fixed Assets are also known as non-current assets. They include the Property, Plant and Equipment that the firm needs in its operation.
GuruFocus calculates net working capital as: (Accounts Receivable + Total Inventories + Other Current Assets) - (Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense + Deferred Revenue + Other Current Liabilities). We're trying to account for OPERATING assets and liabilities (part of daily business) when calculating working capital. Cash and marketable securities are considered NON-OPERATING assets and are not included in calculation. We will also back out all interest bearing debt, short term debt and the portion of long term debt that is due in the current period from the current liabilities. This debt will be considered when computing cost of capital and it would be inappropriate to count it twice.
Note:
The EBIT data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) EBIT data.
* 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.
What does a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of 457.22% mean?
Paylocity Holding (PCTY) has a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of 457.22% as of Mar. 2026. Joel Greenblatt's return on capital is the ratio of EBIT to average fixed assets and net working capital. View historical data on Paylocity Holding and its competitors. This is 511% above median its historical median of 74.87. According to the industry distribution chart, Paylocity Holding ranks #314 out of 2800 companies in the Software industry, placing it in the top 11.2%.
Is Paylocity Holding's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % too high?
Paylocity Holding's current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of 457.22% is 511% above median its 10-year median of 74.87. The Software industry median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 19.63. Paylocity Holding's value of 457.22% is 2229.8% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Paylocity Holding ranks #314 out of 2800 companies in the Software industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Paylocity Holding has a GF Score™ of 75/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Paylocity Holding's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % compare to DUOL and NAVN?
According to the Software industry distribution chart, Paylocity Holding ranks #314 out of 2800 companies for ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %. This places Paylocity Holding in the top 11% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 19.63. Paylocity Holding's value of 457.22% is 2229.8% above this benchmark. While the company's 10-year median is 74.87 vs. the industry median of 19.63, Paylocity Holding has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for a Software company?
The median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % among Software companies is 19.63, based on 2,800 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Paylocity Holding's current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of 457.22% is 2229.8% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % mean?
A high ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Joel Greenblatt's return on capital is the ratio of EBIT to average fixed assets and net working capital. View historical data on Paylocity Holding and its competitors. For the Software industry, the median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 19.63 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Paylocity Holding's current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 457.22%, which is 511% above median its own 10-year median of 74.87. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Paylocity Holding stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $226.17, compared to a current price of $113.76 — trading 49.7% below its estimated fair value. The current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 457.22%, which is 511% above median its 10-year median of 74.87 and 2229.8% above the Software industry median of 19.63. Paylocity Holding's overall GF Score™ is 75/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % calculated?
ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Paylocity Holding (PCTY), the current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 457.22% as of Mar. 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 Paylocity Holding (PCTY) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Paylocity Holding stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $113.76 is trading 49.7% below its estimated GF Value™ of $226.17.
GuruFocus considers Paylocity Holding to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for PCTY:
ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %: 457.22% (511% above median its 10-year median of 74.87)
GF Value™: $226.17 vs. price of $113.76 (49.7% below fair value)
Industry Position: 2229.8% above the Software median (#314 of 2800)
No single metric tells the full story. See the PCTY stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Paylocity is a cloud-based human capital management provider offering payroll, compliance, and human resources management solutions. With the addition of expense and IT management modules, Paylocity unifies back-office operations spanning HR, finance, and IT on a single platform and bills customers on a subscription basis. The firm's customer base skews toward the midmarket and is primarily based in the US. As of fiscal 2025, Paylocity has nearly 42,000 customers.
75GF Score
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