Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

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

Deluxe Stock Down 11.2 %

Shares of DLX opened at $20.05 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $887.39 million, a P/E ratio of 16.17, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $22.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. Deluxe has a 12 month low of $18.48 and a 12 month high of $24.87.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 21.15% and a net margin of 2.58%. Analysts predict that Deluxe will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.99%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.77%.

Insider Activity at Deluxe

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.57 per share, for a total transaction of $53,975.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 180,960 shares in the company, valued at $4,265,227.20. This represents a 1.28 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 4.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Deluxe

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DLX. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Deluxe during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 1,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 1,257 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.