Teacher Retirement System of Texas Grows Stock Position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,245 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,915 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Deluxe were worth $1,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DLX. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Deluxe in the 4th quarter worth approximately $220,326,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Deluxe by 1.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,695,132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,038,000 after buying an additional 18,133 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in Deluxe by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,280,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,921,000 after buying an additional 31,288 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Deluxe by 1.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,028,079 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $20,041,000 after buying an additional 17,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Deluxe by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 231,624 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,232,000 after acquiring an additional 11,233 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deluxe Stock Down 3.2 %

DLX stock opened at $15.87 on Friday. Deluxe Co. has a 52 week low of $15.13 and a 52 week high of $24.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $709.70 million, a P/E ratio of 13.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. Equities analysts forecast that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.56%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.69%.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 3,926 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 272,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,488,398.95. The trade was a 1.46 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Company Profile

Deluxe Corporation provides technology-enabled solutions to enterprises, small businesses, and financial institutions in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It operates through Merchant Services, B2B Payments, Data Solutions, and Print segments. The Merchant Services offers credit and debit card authorization and payment systems, as well as processing services primarily to small and medium-sized retail and service businesses.