Paychex, Inc. vs Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
PAYX wins the Tale of the Tape 6–3.
🏆 Tale of the Tape
Green = winner in each category. Higher is better except P/E (lower = cheaper).
Fundamentals
| Metric | PAYX | ACLS |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $34.7B | $2.8B |
| P/E Ratio | 21.4x | 24.1x |
| Forward P/E | 16.4x | 20.3x |
| P/B | 8.66x | 2.72x |
| Dividend Yield | 4.91% | — |
| Beta | 0.89 | 1.76 |
Quantitative Metrics
| Metric | PAYX | ACLS |
|---|---|---|
| DCF Fair Value | $75.83 | $24.44 |
| DCF Upside | -15.1% | — |
| Piotroski F | 4/9 | 5/9 |
| Altman Z | 2.60 | 7.31 |
| Beneish M | -2.16 | -2.07 |
| FCF Yield | 5.09% | 3.95% |
| Net Debt/EBITDA | 1.2x | -0.6x |
| ROIC | 18.8% | 9.8% |
| WACC | 9.5% | 15.4% |
| ROIC – WACC | 9.3pp | -5.7pp |
| Gross Margin | 72.4% | 44.9% |
| Net Margin | 29.7% | 14.3% |
| Rev Growth YoY | 5.6% | -17.6% |
| Sharpe (1Y) | -1.92 | — |
| Max Drawdown 3Y | -45.0% | — |
| FCF Payout Ratio | 85% | — |
PAYX Price
ACLS Price
ETF Exposure
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Quant metrics computed from financial statements and 1,200+ trading days. Correlation is Pearson coefficient on daily log returns. Not investment advice.
PAYX vs ACLS: Head-to-Head Analysis
Paychex, Inc. (PAYX) and Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (ACLS) represent two companies in the Technology sector. In our quantitative Tale of the Tape scoring, PAYX leads 6–3 across nine fundamental and risk metrics including profitability, valuation, capital efficiency, and financial health.
In terms of capital efficiency, PAYX generates a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 18.8% compared to ACLS's 9.8%. This suggests PAYX is more effective at deploying capital to generate shareholder returns.
PAYX appears in 32 ETFs tracked by SecuritiesDB, while ACLS appears in 8 ETFs. Investors holding broad-market ETFs may already have indirect exposure to both stocks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stock is the better investment, PAYX or ACLS?
Our quantitative analysis compares PAYX and ACLS across nine fundamental dimensions. PAYX wins the Tale of the Tape 6–3. However, stock selection depends on your individual risk tolerance, time horizon, and portfolio context. These metrics are computed from SEC filings and market data — they are not investment recommendations.
Are PAYX and ACLS correlated?
Correlation data is not yet available for this pair. Check back after both stocks have sufficient trading history.
How is the Tale of the Tape scored?
The Tale of the Tape compares both stocks across nine categories: profitability (net margin), valuation (P/E), efficiency (ROIC), health (Piotroski F-Score), safety (Altman Z-Score), growth (revenue YoY), risk (Sharpe ratio), leverage (debt-to-equity), and cash generation (FCF yield). The stock that wins more categories takes the overall score. Lower P/E and lower debt-to-equity count as wins.