Paycom Software Inc vs VNET Group Inc — how do they compare? Paycom Software Inc trades at $139 (market cap $6.72B), while VNET Group Inc trades at $7.86 (market cap $2.19B). The key difference: Paycom Software Inc is far larger — about 3.1× VNET Group Inc's market cap, and Paycom Software Inc pays a 1.04% dividend while VNET Group Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| PAYC | VNET | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $6.72B | $2.19B |
Sector | Technology | Technology |
52-Week High | $238.80 | $14.03 |
52-Week Low | $113.59 | $7.34 |
Enterprise Value | $7.33B | $5.34B |
Dividend Yield | 1.04% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Paycom Software (PAYC) trades at $144.22, down 2.51% today, with a bullish technical signal and strong fundamentals including 22.44% net margin and 37.15% ROE. Recent earnings beat expectations in Q1 2026, and the company launched a new Asset Management tool. Cash flow from operations grew to $679M in 2025, though net cash flow declined from 2024's peak.
Outlook remains positive with analyst consensus near current price ($144.60 target) and 47% buy ratings. Risks include high P/B of 8.6 and reliance on HR software demand. The stock offers value with a reasonable P/E of 17.33 but faces execution risks in maintaining growth against competition.
VNET trades at $7.675, up 3.86% today, but faces bearish technical signals with 15 sell indicators against 0 buys. The company reported a Q1 2026 net loss of $1.20 per share, missing estimates, while revenue reached $390.13 million. Despite negative profitability margins, analyst consensus remains 62.5% buy-rated, citing strategic investor entry and AI-driven data center demand as growth catalysts.
The outlook hinges on execution of its data center capacity pipeline to reverse losses. Risks include persistent negative earnings, high debt, and competitive pressures. Institutional sentiment is cautiously optimistic given the 54% average price target upside, but profitability improvement is critical for sustained momentum.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Paycom is a fast-growing provider of payroll and human capital management, or HCM, software primarily targeting clients with 50-10,000 employees in the United States. Paycom was established in 1998 and services about 18,000 clients as of 2021, based on parent company grouping. Alongside its core payroll software, Paycom offers various HCM add-on modules, including time and attendance, talent management, and benefits administration.
Read more on PAYC →VNET Group, formerly 21Vianet, is a leading carrier-neutral data center services provider in China. It operates a dual-core strategy: a large-scale retail business serving over 7,000 enterprise customers and an aggressive wholesale segment (Hyperscale 2.0) designed to meet the high-density power and cooling demands of large-scale AI and cloud platforms.
Read more on VNET →