Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Downgraded to “Buy” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Separately, Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Trading Up 1.3 %

Deluxe stock opened at $15.83 on Friday. Deluxe has a 1 year low of $15.13 and a 1 year high of $24.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $19.58 and its 200-day moving average is $20.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $703.12 million, a P/E ratio of 13.41, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last issued its 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Deluxe will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.58%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.69%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 3,926 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. This represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Deluxe

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deluxe in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Deluxe in the third quarter valued at $36,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Deluxe by 57.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Deluxe by 63.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,257 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.