3 Large Cap Stocks Announce Big Buyback Boosts Amid +20% Falls

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3 Large Cap Stocks Announce Big Buyback Boosts Amid +20% Falls

Written by Leo Miller. Published: 1/28/2026.

Summary

Automatic Data Processing, CoStar Group, and Paychex all expanded buyback capacity after steep share-price declines.
Each authorization equals a meaningful slice of market cap, suggesting management confidence at current levels.
CoStar stands out for pairing a large repurchase plan with updated forward commentary as it ramps investment.

Several large-cap stocks recently announced sizeable increases to their buyback capacity. Each of these names has fallen sharply over the past several months — down 20% or more from their highs — which suggests management may view the shares as undervalued.

Slow Hiring Hurts ADP, Fires Back With Big Repurchase Plan

First up is Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP). Since reaching an all-time closing high near $321 in June 2025, ADP shares have retreated about 20%. The company’s fiscal Q1 earnings report was strong, yet shares fell nearly 7% the day after the release (ADP’s fiscal year and the calendar year are not aligned).

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ADP beat estimates for sales and adjusted earnings per share and forecasted steady growth with margin expansion. At the same time, management flagged weakness in the labor market: on aggregate, ADP clients did not increase headcount last quarter. Because ADP often charges customers on a per-employee basis, weak hiring is a direct headwind to revenue growth.

Still, ADP may view the sell-off as overdone. On Jan. 14 the company announced a $6 billion share buyback program, roughly 5.8% of its $104 billion market capitalization. That gives management a meaningful tool to reduce outstanding shares and support per-share metrics. With the buyback and the Jan. 28 earnings report as potential near-term catalysts, ADP is a name to watch.

CoStar Tanks as Battle With Zillow Heats Up

CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a $28 billion data, analytics, and marketplace software provider for the commercial real estate industry. The company has been challenging Zillow Group (NASDAQ: ZG) in residential listings through websites such as Homes.com.

CoStar reached a 52-week closing high in August 2025 near $97 (just below its record from 2021), but the stock has since fallen about 32%, including a roughly 10% decline after the company’s most recent earnings release. Despite that sell-off, CoStar beat sales and adjusted EPS estimates and raised its full-year 2025 guidance.

The company is investing aggressively to compete with Zillow, allocating significant resources to artificial intelligence tools. Investors appear concerned these investments will weigh on near-term margins.

With the share price down materially, CoStar announced a $1.5 billion share buyback program on Jan. 7, roughly 5.4% of its market capitalization — a clear signal of management confidence. The company also raised its 2026 guidance and said investment spending should moderate during the year.

PAYX Approves $1B Buyback With Shares Down About 32%

Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) provides payroll, human-resources, and benefits solutions, with a heavier focus on small and medium-sized businesses compared with ADP. Like ADP, Paychex hit its 52-week and all-time closing high in June 2025 near $157; since then, shares have fallen about 32%.

The largest drop occurred after its late-June earnings report, when shares slid nearly 10% in one day. While the firm met or exceeded sales and adjusted EPS estimates, about $146 million in costs tied to its Paycor acquisition reduced GAAP operating income by 11%. Uncertainty in the hiring market has also pressured the stock, as with ADP.

On Jan. 16, Paychex announced a $1 billion stock repurchase authorization, approximately 2.6% of its $38 billion market capitalization. The company repurchased $290 million of stock over the past 12 months, indicating it can accelerate buybacks if management chooses.

Watchlist Add: CoStar

These buyback authorizations are a strong signal of management confidence. Among the three, CoStar is especially noteworthy. The firm is already a stalwart in commercial real estate, and a successful push into residential marketplaces would make it a much more formidable competitor. The sizeable buyback and the updated guidance are encouraging developments to monitor.

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Hello –

Want to know what separates the folks who retire early from the ones who keep working just to keep up with inflation?

They get in early on boring companies that make stupid amounts of money.

That’s exactly what you’ll find on our exclusive 7 Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever list—updated with fresh data to help you meet your retirement goals sooner.

Here’s the thing…

Most people scroll past these companies because they’re not flashy.

But while the crowd chases crypto crashes and meme stock madness…these 7 companies quietly rake in billions in cold, hard profit, year after year.

If you’re serious about building wealth over the next 5, 10, even 20 years, you owe it to yourself to at least peek at these names.

Here’s to more beach days and fewer workdays,

Just For You

3 Large Cap Stocks Announce Big Buyback Boosts Amid +20% Falls

Written by Leo Miller. Published: 1/28/2026.

Summary

Automatic Data Processing, CoStar Group, and Paychex all expanded buyback capacity after steep share-price declines.
Each authorization equals a meaningful slice of market cap, suggesting management confidence at current levels.
CoStar stands out for pairing a large repurchase plan with updated forward commentary as it ramps investment.

Slow Hiring Hurts ADP, Fires Back With Big Repurchase Plan

Did the government just make a $500 trillion mistake? (Ad)

CoStar Tanks as Battle With Zillow Heats Up

PAYX Approves $1B Buyback With Shares Down About 32%

Watchlist Add: CoStar

RJ Hamster

The “Boring” Stocks Making Billions

Hello –

Want to know what separates the folks who retire early from the ones who keep working just to keep up with inflation?

They get in early on boring companies that make stupid amounts of money.

That’s exactly what you’ll find on our exclusive 7 Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever list—updated with fresh data to help you meet your retirement goals sooner.

Here’s the thing…

Most people scroll past these companies because they’re not flashy.

But while the crowd chases crypto crashes and meme stock madness…these 7 companies quietly rake in billions in cold, hard profit, year after year.

If you’re serious about building wealth over the next 5, 10, even 20 years, you owe it to yourself to at least peek at these names.

Here’s to more beach days and fewer workdays,

Meta Platforms Posted Its Fastest Growth Guide in Years—Now What?

By Leo Miller. Article Published: 2/3/2026.

Key Points

Meta’s latest earnings report swayed many investors, as shares rose by a double-digit percentage the next day.
The company’s Q1 2026 guidance implies growth that the company has not seen in years, especially when adjusting for pandemic-driven abnormalities.
Updated price targets imply +20% upside ahead, with one particularly bullish forecast projecting +50% gains.

All things considered, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) delivered a very strong Q4 2025 earnings report. It comfortably beat estimates on sales and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) in its Jan. 28 release, and showed impressive underlying improvements across the business.

The Magnificent Seven company’s outlook was particularly intriguing. Despite forecasting rapidly rising spending in 2026, Meta projected that sales would increase by 30% in Q1 2026 — its fastest growth rate since Q3 2021. Wall Street analysts have taken notice, with many raising their price targets. Meta’s growth outlook is striking, and analysts are lifting expectations for the stock.

Growth at Scale: Putting Meta’s 30% Guidance in Context

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As noted, Meta has not generated 30% growth since Q3 2021—more than four years ago. That alone helps explain why the company’s guidance for the next quarter is so notable. A closer look makes the outlook even more impressive.

Results in 2021 were influenced by an unusual factor outside companies’ control: the COVID-19 pandemic. As the economy shut down, 2020 was a weak year for many businesses, including Meta. Its sales rose almost 22% that year, which at the time was the company’s slowest growth rate since at least 2015.

When pent-up demand released in 2021, many companies saw a spike in sales, creating easy year-over-year comparisons to 2020. Given that abnormality, it’s reasonable to compare Meta’s guidance to pre-pandemic performance.

Excluding 2020 and 2021, Meta hasn’t achieved a 30% growth rate since Q4 2018—roughly seven years ago. That’s particularly noteworthy given how much the business has grown since then. As total revenues rise, sustaining very high growth rates becomes harder because each incremental dollar represents a smaller portion of the larger base.

Achieving 30% growth next quarter would put the firm’s quarterly revenue near $55 billion. When Meta generated 30% growth in Q4 2018, its revenue was just $16.9 billion. The contrast highlights how sizable Meta’s opportunities are today: the company is projecting similar growth off a revenue base more than three times larger than in 2018.

Meta Price Targets Rise, Most Bullish Forecast Pushed Higher

The MarketBeat consensus price target on Meta shares sits near $849, implying roughly 20% upside. Looking at targets updated after the Jan. 28 release paints an even brighter picture: MarketBeat tracked more than 25 analysts who updated their Meta price targets after the earnings release, with all but one raising. Among those updates, the average target is $870, implying about 23% upside.

Although not a dramatic shift, analysts have generally stayed bullish on Meta even as many investors retreated. The average of the price targets updated one week after the company’s Q3 2025 earnings was $857, despite the stock dropping more than 10% during that period.

The lowest post-Jan. 28 updated target tracked by MarketBeat comes from Scotiabank at $700, implying roughly 1% downside versus the stock’s Feb. 2 close near $706. The most bullish updated target comes from Rosenblatt Securities. After the company’s Q3 report, Rosenblatt had a $1,117 target on Meta; it has now reset that high-water mark with a $1,144 forecast, implying almost 62% upside.

Historically Conservative Forecasts Provide Potential for Upward Revisions

Meta’s Q4 report helped win back many investors: shares rose 10.4% the next day. Most analysts remain steadfast in their conviction. Notably, the company has beaten sales estimates in each of its last 14 earnings releases.

That track record supports the possibility of further upward revisions to price targets, but investors will keep a close eye on Meta’s spending and expect the company to deliver on its ambitious growth projections.

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We empower everyday investors to make better trading decisions by offering up-to-the-minute financial information and best-in-class investment analysis.

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© 2006-2026 MarketBeat Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
345 North Reid Place, Sixth Floor, Sioux Falls, S.D. 57103. U.S.A..

Hello –

Want to know what separates the folks who retire early from the ones who keep working just to keep up with inflation?

They get in early on boring companies that make stupid amounts of money.

That’s exactly what you’ll find on our exclusive 7 Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever list—updated with fresh data to help you meet your retirement goals sooner.

Here’s the thing…

Most people scroll past these companies because they’re not flashy.

But while the crowd chases crypto crashes and meme stock madness…these 7 companies quietly rake in billions in cold, hard profit, year after year.

If you’re serious about building wealth over the next 5, 10, even 20 years, you owe it to yourself to at least peek at these names.

Here’s to more beach days and fewer workdays,

Meta Platforms Posted Its Fastest Growth Guide in Years—Now What?

By Leo Miller. Article Published: 2/3/2026.

Key Points

Meta’s latest earnings report swayed many investors, as shares rose by a double-digit percentage the next day.
The company’s Q1 2026 guidance implies growth that the company has not seen in years, especially when adjusting for pandemic-driven abnormalities.
Updated price targets imply +20% upside ahead, with one particularly bullish forecast projecting +50% gains.

Growth at Scale: Putting Meta’s 30% Guidance in Context

The biggest scam in the history of gold markets is unwinding (Ad)

Meta Price Targets Rise, Most Bullish Forecast Pushed Higher

Historically Conservative Forecasts Provide Potential for Upward Revisions

RJ Hamster

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Today’s Exclusive Story

Defense Behemoths: Winners and Loser During Q4 Earnings Cycle

Reported by Leo Miller. Publication Date: 2/2/2026.

At a Glance

Defense stocks soared in 2025, and many of the industry’s biggest players just reported their year-end results.
Northrop Grumman and RTX gained positive reactions from their releases, with shares and price targets rising.
Despite shares falling, analysts are still optimistic on General Dynamics.

A plethora of defense giants just reported their Q4 2025 earnings. The cycle produced some standout performances and a few results that left investors wanting more. Here are the most notable winners and losers from the latest round of defense reports.

Winner: Northrop Grumman Sees Growth Accelerating in 2026

U.S. defense behemoth Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), known for building stealth bombers like the B-2 Spirit, was a clear winner in its latest earnings report. Northrop posted strong Q4 2025 earnings, released before the market’s open on Jan. 27. Revenue came in at $11.7 billion, up almost 10% and beating estimates by more than $100 million. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) rose about 13% to $7.23, comfortably above estimates of $6.97.

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In a positive sign for its outlook, Northrop expects revenue to grow in the mid-single-digit range in 2026, a notable acceleration from the roughly 2% full-year sales growth it delivered in 2025.

Northrop’s results prompted optimism among investors and Wall Street analysts. Shares rose 2.7% on Jan. 27, and several analysts raised their forecasts materially.

The consensus price target on Northrop sits close to $689, near its Jan. 30 closing price. However, price targets issued after the earnings release average about $762, implying meaningful upside of roughly 10%.

Winner: RTX Gains, Backlog Hits Record High

RTX (NYSE: RTX) also posted a solid quarter. Sales rose 12% to $24.2 billion, topping estimates by $1.6 billion. Adjusted EPS was essentially flat at $1.55, up less than 1%, but still ahead of the $1.47 analysts had expected.

RTX expects sales growth to moderate in 2026 but anticipates free cash flow growth of about 8% at the midpoint of its guidance. A record backlog of $268 billion supports the outlook, providing meaningful revenue visibility over the next several years — roughly three times its 2025 sales.

While RTX is a major defense contractor, it also serves the commercial aviation market. The company expects continued growth in commercial aircraft production in 2026, which should support Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney.

Overall, RTX shares climbed about 3.7% on the day of its Jan. 27 pre-market release.

The current consensus price target near $199 implies roughly 1% downside. Several analysts updated their targets after the report; those revisions average about $223, implying roughly 11% upside.

Loser: General Dynamics Falls on Guidance, But Analysts Still See Solid Upside

Conversely, markets reacted less favorably to General Dynamics (NYSE: GD). Sharesclosed down 2.7% on the day of the company’s Jan. 28 release, which posted during market hours.

General Dynamics operates in areas many other defense firms do not, including making and servicing Gulfstream private jets and building nuclear submarines.

The company’s revenue rose 8% in the quarter to $14.4 billion, beating estimates of about $13.8 billion. EPS increased less than 1% to $4.17, topping expectations of $4.11.

However, the company’s guidance implies roughly 4% revenue growth in 2026, a marked slowdown from the 10% growth it delivered in 2025.

It also sees EPS growth moderating to about 4% from 13% last year. On the plus side, it finished the year with a record backlog of $118 billion — more than double its 2025 revenue.

General Dynamics guided Aerospace operating margins near 14% in 2026, short of its longer-term “high teens” target. The softer guidance was the primary driver of the market’s negative reaction.

The consensus price target on General Dynamics sits near $372, implying about 6% upside. Despite the stock’s decline, analysts increased their targets after the results; those updated targets average roughly $403, suggesting potential upside near 15%.

Defense Industry Eyes Catalyst in Potential Gov’t Spending Boost

Looking ahead, the defense industry could receive a significant tailwind if the U.S. government increases defense spending. President Trump has proposed boosting defense spending to $1.5 trillion in the government’s next fiscal year, which would represent a roughly 66% increase over the prior budget. That proposal would still require congressional approval and is far from guaranteed.

Thank you for subscribing to MarketBeat!

MarketBeat empowers individual investors to make better financial decisions by offering real-time financial information and unbiased investment research.

If you have questions or concerns about your subscription, please email our U.S. based support team at contact@marketbeat.com.

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RJ Hamster

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