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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 growth as the main driver and profitability adding further support. 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 2026-07-05

The page question resolves through growth, where Workday, Inc. holds the stronger read even though the broader score still favours 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.
69
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
WDAY
Workday, Inc.
58
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 93 62 Stability 68 54 Valuation 74 54 Growth 26 59 ADP WDAY
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +33
#2 Profitability +31
#3 Valuation +20
#4 Stability +14
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

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against Workday, 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 63 pct gap WDAY Lower · near norm 0th 50th 100th 69th 6th
Today WDAY sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (6th percentile), while ADP sits higher in its own history (69th). 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
Growth
On growth, Workday, Inc. is positioned higher in the group, while Automatic Data Processing, Inc. is closer to the middle.
Profitability
Both profiles are strong on profitability, but Automatic Data Processing, Inc. leads clearly.
Growth — Dominant Gap
ADP
26
WDAY
59
Gap+33in favour of WDAY

The clearest distance comes from a stronger growth profile.

What else supports the lead

Profitability reinforces the lead rather than leaving the result tied to one dimension, with a 16.9-point operating margin advantage.

What this means for the comparison

Growth is the clearest driver of the lead, with profitability adding further support — though growth still provides a real counterweight.

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.