COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
ADSK vs PCTY
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ADSK scored 82.2, PCTY scored 81.9 — ADSK leads.
Compare another set
ADSK
Autodesk, Inc.
82.2
$253.82 · $53.6B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
0.3
ADSK leads
PCTY
Paylocity Holding Corporation
81.9
$153.34 · $8.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestPCTY31.2x
- Fastest growthADSK+18.3%
- Strongest balance sheetPCTY0.11
- Highest qualityPCTY92 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valuePCTY-3%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
ADSK
stronger →← stronger
PCTY
88
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
92
86
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
87
73
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
68
PCTY is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ADSK
PCTY
$2.7bB
FCF
$497mC
+18.3%B+
Rev
+12.2%B+
0.85C+
D/E
0.11B+
37.1xB
P/E
31.2xB
0.96B+
PEG
1.21B
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
ADSK
PCTY
33% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
3% below
~16%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~7%/yr
-33%
1-yr DCF upside
-7%
-25%
5-yr DCF upside
+3%
-10%
10-yr DCF upside
+20%
These two disagree on this pair: the Value pillar ranks cheapness against sector peers, while price-vs-fair-value is an absolute read. A name can be the better value in its sector and still the dearer one on cash flows.
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
ADSK
Why this score
- Durable high returns
PCTY
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
The companies
ADSKAutodesk, Inc.
Why now
Software - Application · market cap $53.6b. Down 23% from 52-week high of $329.09 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +18%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.96 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 34 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $314.19 (implying +24% upside).
Moat
Net margin 19% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 46% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 187% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 37x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates. Software — competitive moat is durable until it isn't; watch net revenue retention, gross margin trends, and any new market entrant with a fundamentally lower price point.
PCTYPaylocity Holding Corporation
Why now
Software - Application · market cap $8.5b. 16% off the 52-week high of $182.36. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. 19 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $172.00 (implying +12% upside).
Moat
Net margin 16% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 22% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 184% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 31x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates. AI-native re-pricing — GPT-class models are compressing the cost of features that took years to build; the moat thesis depends on owning the workflow, not just the feature set.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
ADSK leads PCTY by 0.1 points (84.8 to 84.7), its sharpest advantage coming in FCF (grade B). A contrarian could still prefer PCTY, which trades about 4% below our DCF fair value — a margin of safety the score doesn't reward.
Our AI analyst is busy right now, so this verdict is drawn directly from the pillars, grades and DCF above.
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where ADSK and PCTY diverge
The two are effectively level on the headline score. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- ValueADSK 73.4 · PCTY 68.0ADSK +5.4
- QualityADSK 87.9 · PCTY 92.3PCTY +4.4
- GrowthADSK 85.9 · PCTY 87.3level
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.