KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Buys New Holdings in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 8,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $181,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Deluxe by 93.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Deluxe in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Deluxe by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management grew its position in shares of Deluxe by 231.9% during the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 5,417 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,785 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deluxe Price Performance

DLX stock opened at $14.15 on Wednesday. Deluxe Co. has a 52 week low of $14.01 and a 52 week high of $24.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $632.79 million, a P/E ratio of 11.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

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

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.69%.

Insider Activity at Deluxe

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.45 per share, with a total value of $64,582.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,488,398.95. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note 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.