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Automatic Data Processing vs Bentley Systems: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Automatic Data Processing holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and valuation. Bentley Systems does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

This is not just a one-metric split: both profitability and valuation materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 30 points in favour of Automatic Data Processing, Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Software - Application

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. ADP and BSY share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Automatic Data Processing and Bentley Systems each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
ADP
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
74
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
BSY
Bentley Systems, Incorporated
44
Peer-Score
Signal qualityHigh
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: ADP vs BSY Profitability 91 39 Stability 76 45 Valuation 83 51 Growth 31 39 ADP BSY
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +52
#2 Valuation +32
#3 Stability +31
#4 Growth +8
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ADP and BSY Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ADPBSY Relative valuation Structural strength

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. looks stronger on relative valuation, while the broader price setup remains mixed.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where ADP and BSY each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY ADP Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 35 pct gap BSY Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 38th 3rd
Today BSY sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (3rd percentile), while ADP sits higher in its own history (38th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, BSY is at a historically more favourable entry position than ADP. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
On profitability, Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Bentley Systems, Incorporated sits in the weaker half.
Valuation
On valuation, the edge is clear — both rank well, but Automatic Data Processing, Inc. sits noticeably higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
ADP
91
BSY
39
Gap+52in favour of ADP

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 9.5-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Bentley Systems, Incorporated still looks less cycle-sensitive — that keeps the result from looking completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and valuation, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the ADP vs BSY comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how ADP and BSY each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.