AlphaQuest LLC Reduces Stock Position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

AlphaQuest LLC lessened its holdings in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 38.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,796 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 13,525 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Deluxe were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 16.5% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 186,766 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,640,000 after purchasing an additional 26,473 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe during the third quarter worth about $1,490,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 10.0% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 115,280 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,247,000 after purchasing an additional 10,447 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 73.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 148,447 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,893,000 after purchasing an additional 62,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 1.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,028,079 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,041,000 after purchasing an additional 17,583 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Deluxe Price Performance

Shares of DLX opened at $15.64 on Thursday. Deluxe Co. has a fifty-two week low of $15.13 and a fifty-two week high of $24.87. The company has a market capitalization of $695.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last announced its 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 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.67%. Deluxe’s payout ratio is currently 101.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DLX has been the topic of several research reports. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Deluxe from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

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 stock was purchased at an average price 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 4.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.