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

StockNews.com cut shares of Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning.

Separately, Sidoti raised Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Stock Performance

NYSE DLX opened at $15.99 on Wednesday. Deluxe has a 1 year low of $15.13 and a 1 year high of $24.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $714.85 million, a P/E ratio of 13.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $18.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.33.

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

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.51%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.69%.

Insider Activity at Deluxe

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired 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 directly owns 272,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 93.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Deluxe by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 25,188 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $569,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in Deluxe by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 18,384 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $415,000 after buying an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in Deluxe by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 87,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,965,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

About Deluxe

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.