Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) Position Lowered by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 637,198 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 148,686 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 1.44% of Deluxe worth $14,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DLX. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake 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. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% during 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 last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 231.9% during the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 5,417 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 3,785 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Deluxe Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of DLX stock traded up $0.21 on Friday, reaching $15.83. 284,147 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 254,262. Deluxe Co. has a 1-year low of $15.13 and a 1-year high of $24.87. The stock has a market cap of $703.12 million, a P/E ratio of 13.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $19.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.55.

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Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.58%. Deluxe's dividend payout ratio is currently 101.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on DLX. StockNews.com downgraded Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Activity at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 3,926 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. The trade was 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 the SEC website. 4.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.