PAYX vs. TRI: Paychex vs. Thomson Reuters Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI) both belong to the Professional Services industry, though PAYX is classified under Human Resource & Employment Services while TRI falls under Research & Consulting Services.

Company profile comparison for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Profile Item	PAYX	TRI
Name	Paychex Inc.	Thomson Reuters Corporation
Country/Region	United States	Canada
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Commercial & Professional Services	Commercial & Professional Services
GICS Industry	Professional Services	Professional Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Human Resource & Employment Services	Research & Consulting Services
Market Capitalization	41.67 billion USD	48.79 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	August 26, 1983	June 12, 2002
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PAYX

TRI

GSPC

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Metric	PAYX	TRI
Total Return (1Y)	7.76%	-16.97%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	4.26%	-3.77%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	1.96%	0.07%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PAYX

TRI

GSPC

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Metric	PAYX	TRI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	30.84%	52.25%
Beta (5Y)	0.79	0.73
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-44.95%	-62.87%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.88M	1.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PAYX and TRI are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Metric	PAYX	TRI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.11	-0.41
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.16	-0.58

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 47.06% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 14.11% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PAYX.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

47.06%

PAYX: 47.06%
Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

14.11%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
TRI: 14.11%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their ROE against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 27.35% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 19.69% also retains a top-quartile share.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

27.35%

PAYX: 27.35%
Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

19.69%

Max: 23.28%
TRI: 19.69%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 38.50% and Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 21.93% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

38.50%

PAYX: 38.50%
Max: 38.50%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

21.93%

Max: 38.50%
TRI: 21.93%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Metric	PAYX	TRI
ROE (TTM)	47.06%	14.11%
ROA (TTM)	10.19%	6.96%
Net Margin (TTM)	27.35%	19.69%
Operating Margin (TTM)	38.50%	21.93%
Gross Margin (TTM)	74.39%	39.72%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Paychex (PAYX) at 16.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 3.00% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for PAYX.

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Paychex (PAYX) at 6.77% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Thomson Reuters (TRI) at -31.90% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Metric	PAYX	TRI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	16.88%	3.00%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.15%	4.10%
EPS Growth (YoY)	6.77%	-31.90%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.38%	3.68%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Paychex (PAYX) at 1.28 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 1.08 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for TRI.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.28

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
PAYX: 1.28
Q1: 1.09
Min: 0.45

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.08

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
TRI: 1.08
Min: 0.45

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 1.25 and Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 0.36 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.25

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
PAYX: 1.25
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.36

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
Median: 0.88
TRI: 0.36
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Metric	PAYX	TRI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.28	1.08
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.25	0.36
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.20	1.17

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 3.80% and Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 2.18% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

3.80%

Max: 4.33%
PAYX: 3.80%
Q3: 1.80%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.18%

Max: 4.33%
TRI: 2.18%
Q3: 1.80%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 90.08% and Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 79.09% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

90.08%

Max: 99.58%
PAYX: 90.08%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

79.09%

Max: 99.58%
TRI: 79.09%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Metric	PAYX	TRI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.80%	2.18%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	90.08%	79.09%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 23.23 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 34.53 sits in the richer quartile — TRI needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

23.23

Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
PAYX: 23.23
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

34.53

Max: 49.47
TRI: 34.53
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 6.31 and Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 6.09 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

6.31

Max: 7.17
PAYX: 6.31
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

6.09

Max: 7.17
TRI: 6.09
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Thomson Reuters (TRI) at 4.35 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Paychex (PAYX) at 11.25 carries an above-peer premium to book — PAYX is pricier on assets.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

11.25

PAYX: 11.25
Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

TRI

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.35

Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
TRI: 4.35
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Thomson Reuters (TRI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Thomson Reuters (TRI)
Metric	PAYX	TRI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.23	34.53
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.31	6.09
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.25	4.35
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.53%	2.27%