Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its holdings in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,680,131 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 38,360 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 3.80% of Deluxe worth $37,954,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 534 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. FMR LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,166 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Deluxe by 63.5% in 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. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 3,926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. This represents a 1.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 5.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Stock Up 0.4 %

Deluxe stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.87. 239,985 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 267,094. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $15.13 and a twelve month high of $24.87. The company has a market cap of $709.52 million, a P/E ratio of 13.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a fifty day moving average of $18.09 and a 200-day moving average of $20.24.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid 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 dividend yield of 7.56%. Deluxe's payout ratio is 101.69%.

Deluxe 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.