Down 72% From All-Time Highs, Is This Software Stock a Buy as It Aggressively Buys Back Its Stock?

Core Viewpoint - Paycom Software has experienced a significant decline in stock value, down approximately 72% from its all-time high in November 2021, raising questions about whether this represents a broken story or a high-quality business undergoing a valuation reset, potentially presenting a buying opportunity [1] Group 1: Valuation Reset - Paycom specializes in payroll and human resources software, with a revenue base that is predominantly recurring, making the stock's drastic decline unexpected [3] - The high valuation in 2021 set a challenging growth expectation, and any signs of slowing growth prompted investors to reassess the stock's valuation [4] - Revenue growth has slowed significantly, with a 9.1% year-over-year increase in Q3 2025 compared to 30.4% growth in Q3 2021, indicating a dramatic deceleration [5] Group 2: Recent Performance - The third-quarter results for 2025 showed a sequential deceleration in growth, with 9.1% top-line growth down from 10.5% in Q2 [6] - Despite the deceleration, management projects approximately 9% total revenue growth for 2025, and share repurchases are becoming increasingly important to the investment thesis [8] Group 3: Profitability - Paycom's third-quarter growth of 9.1% is still considered solid, with recurring revenue growth at 10.6% year-over-year, representing about 95% of total revenue [9] - Profitability metrics are strong, with adjusted EBITDA margin increasing from 37.9% in the previous year to 39.4% in Q3 2025, and non-GAAP earnings per share rising 16.2% year-over-year to $1.94 [10]