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Paylocity Holding Corp.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 4 raised, 4 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Recurring revenue grew 11.6%: Recurring and other revenue rose from $421.1 million a year earlier and drove most of the growth in total revenue, which also includes interest income on funds held for clients. Source
  • Operating income rose in quarter: GAAP operating income rose by $30.0 million from a year earlier, and non-GAAP operating income rose by $24.1 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA reached $220.2M: Adjusted EBITDA excluding interest income on funds held for clients was $187.9 million, against $163.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Operating cash flow margin up: Trailing twelve-month operating cash flow was $507.9 million, or 29.4% of total revenue, against $411.6 million, or 26.5%, a year earlier. Source
  • Free cash flow margin reached 24.4%: Trailing twelve-month free cash flow was $421.0 million, or 24.4% of total revenue, against $335.8 million, or 21.6%, a year earlier. Source
  • Third-quarter buyback of $50M: The company repurchased $50 million, or 440,000 shares, in the third quarter, and $350 million, or 2.3 million shares, in the first nine months of the fiscal year. Source
  • Grayscale Labs acquisition completed: Management described Grayscale as an AI-powered recruiting automation company that extends existing recruiting capabilities. The acquisition closed in April 2026. Source
  • Multi-year R&D investment continues: Management said the multi-year R&D investment supports HCM, Finance and IT offerings, underpinned by expanded AI capabilities and core employee record data. Source

“Our solid results continued into the third quarter of fiscal 26, with recurring revenue growth of 11.6%, total revenue growth of 10.5% and increased revenue and profitability guidance for the fiscal year.”

Toby Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer of Paylocity

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Recurring and other revenue Sourcefourth quarter fiscal 2026$402.2 million to $407.2 millionNew
Total revenue Sourcefourth quarter fiscal 2026$428.4 million to $433.4 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) Sourcefourth quarter fiscal 2026$128.6 million to $132.6 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA excluding interest income on funds held for clients (non-GAAP) Sourcefourth quarter fiscal 2026$102.4 million to $106.4 millionNew
Recurring and other revenue Sourcefiscal year 2026$1.638 billion to $1.643 billionRaised from $1.620 billion to $1.630 billion
Total revenue Sourcefiscal year 2026$1.755 billion to $1.760 billionRaised from $1.732 billion to $1.742 billion
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) Sourcefiscal year 2026$638.0 million to $642.0 millionRaised from $622.5 million to $630.5 million
Adjusted EBITDA excluding interest income on funds held for clients (non-GAAP) Sourcefiscal year 2026$521.0 million to $525.0 millionRaised from $510.5 million to $518.5 million

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year fiscal 2026 revenue and profitability guidance was increased from the February ranges. Source
  • New guidance: The February release gave guidance for the third quarter and full fiscal year 2026; this release adds fourth-quarter ranges. Source
  • New: Acquisition of Grayscale Labs, Inc. was completed in April 2026 to add AI-powered recruiting capabilities. Source
  • New: The board increased the share repurchase authorization by $1.0 billion in April 2026. Source

Revenue and earnings growth

  • Recurring revenue grew 11.6%: Recurring and other revenue rose from $421.1 million a year earlier and drove most of the growth in total revenue, which also includes interest income on funds held for clients. Source
  • Total revenue rose 10.5%: Total revenue reached $502.3 million, up from $454.5 million a year earlier. Interest income on funds held for clients was $32.4 million, against $33.5 million a year earlier. Source
  • Quarterly net income and EPS higher: GAAP net income was $111.3 million, or $2.05 per share, against $91.5 million, or $1.61, a year earlier. Non-GAAP net income per share was $2.89, against $2.43. Source
  • Nine-month revenue and EPS up: Nine-month total revenue was $1,326.6 million, against $1,194.5 million. Nine-month diluted EPS was $3.81, against $3.15 a year earlier. Source

Operating costs and profit measures

  • Operating income rose in quarter: GAAP operating income rose by $30.0 million from a year earlier, and non-GAAP operating income rose by $24.1 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA reached $220.2M: Adjusted EBITDA excluding interest income on funds held for clients was $187.9 million, against $163.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Stock compensation charge lower: Stock-based compensation and related employer payroll taxes were $32.8 million in the quarter, against $37.5 million a year earlier. Source
  • Non-GAAP R&D and sales spending up: Non-GAAP total research and development was $62.7 million, against $57.6 million. Non-GAAP sales and marketing was $88.1 million, against $82.5 million. Source
  • Forward non-GAAP figures not reconciled: Management said the forward-looking non-GAAP guidance measures cannot be reconciled to their GAAP equivalents without unreasonable effort. Source

“Our multi-year investment in R&D continues to drive innovation across our HCM, Finance and IT offerings, all underpinned by expanded AI capabilities and our core employee record data.”

Toby Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer of Paylocity

Cash flow generation

  • Operating cash flow margin up: Trailing twelve-month operating cash flow was $507.9 million, or 29.4% of total revenue, against $411.6 million, or 26.5%, a year earlier. Source
  • Free cash flow margin reached 24.4%: Trailing twelve-month free cash flow was $421.0 million, or 24.4% of total revenue, against $335.8 million, or 21.6%, a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month operating cash flow higher: Nine-month operating cash flow was $421.4 million, against $331.7 million a year earlier, an increase of $89.7 million. Source
  • Software and equipment spending rose: Capitalized internal-use software costs were $49.1 million in the first nine months, against $45.6 million. Equipment purchases were $15.5 million, against $7.6 million. Source

Balance sheet and client funds

  • Cash on hand at quarter end: Cash and cash equivalents were $299.7 million at March 31, 2026, against $398.1 million at June 30, 2025. Source
  • Long-term debt stands at $81.3M: The balance is credit facility borrowing that funded the October 2024 Airbase acquisition. It was $162.5 million at June 30, 2025. Source
  • Client funds balance grew: Funds held for clients were $3.84 billion at March 31, 2026, against $2.70 billion at June 30, 2025. Client fund obligations were $3.83 billion. Source

“as a result of our increasing cash flows, we continue to return capital to shareholders, with $350 million or 2.3 million shares repurchased through Q3 of this fiscal year,”

Toby Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer of Paylocity

Share repurchases and share count

  • Third-quarter buyback of $50M: The company repurchased $50 million, or 440,000 shares, in the third quarter, and $350 million, or 2.3 million shares, in the first nine months of the fiscal year. Source
  • Repurchase authorization raised $1.0B: The board approved a $1.0 billion increase in April 2026. Management said $1.35 billion of authorization was available as of May 7, 2026. Source
  • Diluted share count lower: Diluted weighted-average shares were 54.3 million in the quarter, against 56.8 million a year earlier. Shares outstanding were 53.5 million at March 31, 2026. Source

Acquisition and AI investment

  • Grayscale Labs acquisition completed: Management described Grayscale as an AI-powered recruiting automation company that extends existing recruiting capabilities. The acquisition closed in April 2026. Source
  • Multi-year R&D investment continues: Management said the multi-year R&D investment supports HCM, Finance and IT offerings, underpinned by expanded AI capabilities and core employee record data. Source
  • AI embedded in platform workflows: The company describes its platform as having AI embedded in everyday workflows across HR, Finance and IT to save time and reduce manual effort. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 May 2026

  • Fourth quarter and fiscal 2026 guidance: The company's guidance covers the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2026, the periods still ahead at the time of the release. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Recurring and other revenue Source$469.9 million, up 11.6% year-over-year

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said the Grayscale acquisition, announced in April, was completed in the same month. Source
  • Not stated: Management said it continues to return capital to shareholders as cash flows increase. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.