COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
PCTY vs PRGS
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. PCTY scored 81.9, PRGS scored 74.5 — PCTY leads.
Compare another set
PCTY
Paylocity Holding Corporation
81.9
$153.34 · $8.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
7.4
PCTY leads
PRGS
Progress Software Corporation
74.5
$44.36 · $1.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestPRGS21.5x
- Fastest growthPRGS+15.5%
- Strongest balance sheetPCTY0.11
- Highest qualityPCTY92 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valuePRGS-65%
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)
PCTY
stronger →← stronger
PRGS
92
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
67
87
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
84
68
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
73
PCTY is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
PCTY
PRGS
$497mC
FCF
$305mC
+12.2%B+
Rev
+15.5%B+
0.11B+
D/E
2.62D
31.2xB
P/E
21.5xB+
1.21B
PEG
1.40B
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
PCTY
PRGS
3% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
65% below
~7%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~-21%/yr
-7%
1-yr DCF upside
+188%
+3%
5-yr DCF upside
+183%
+20%
10-yr DCF upside
+177%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
PCTY
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
PRGS
Why this score
- Buying back stock
The companies
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.
PRGSProgress Software Corporation
Why now
Software - Infrastructure · market cap $1.8b. 6% off the 52-week high of $47.37. Revenue growing +16%, comfortably above the S&P median. 5 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $55.80 (implying +26% upside).
Moat
ROE 18% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income — non-cash charges (depreciation, intangible amortization) are holding down GAAP earnings while cash generation stays strong. Software economics — recurring revenue, embedded customer workflows, and high gross margin all compound the moat once a base account is won. Switching costs are the lever.
Risk
D/E 2.62 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. 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.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
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 PCTY and PRGS diverge
On the headline score the gap is 7.4 points in favor of PCTY. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- QualityPCTY 92.3 · PRGS 67.1PCTY +25.2
- ValuePCTY 68.0 · PRGS 73.1PRGS +5.1
- GrowthPCTY 87.3 · PRGS 84.4level
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.