Home Compare ADP vs WDAY
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Software - Application

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

Automatic Data Processing holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across valuation and growth. Workday still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. 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 S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The lead is spread across valuation and stability, rather than sitting in one isolated gap. The overall score gap is 16 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 WDAY share the same industry classification.

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

Peer-Relative Score
ADP
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
72
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
WDAY
Workday, Inc.
56
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

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 WDAY Profitability 89 71 Stability 78 53 Valuation 78 41 Growth 28 60 ADP WDAY
Gap Ranking
#1 Valuation +37
#2 Growth +32
#3 Stability +25
#4 Profitability +18
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ADP and WDAY Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ADPWDAY Relative valuation Structural strength

Structure stays fairly close here, while current pricing still looks more supportive for Automatic Data Processing, Inc..

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY ADP Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 36 pct gap WDAY Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 38th 2nd
Today WDAY sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (2nd percentile), while ADP sits higher in its own history (38th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, WDAY 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
Valuation
Both profiles are strong on valuation, but Automatic Data Processing, Inc. leads clearly.
Growth
On growth, Workday, Inc. is positioned higher in the group, while Automatic Data Processing, Inc. is closer to the middle.
Valuation — Dominant Gap
ADP
78
WDAY
41
Gap+37in favour of ADP

The multiple-based pricing edge comes from a trailing P/E that is 28 turns lower.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Earnings growth also leans toward WDAY, which keeps the score lead from reading as a full growth sweep.

What this means for the comparison

Valuation settles the comparison, while pricing and growth keep the broader setup from looking fully aligned.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how ADP and WDAY 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.