Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Sells 175,087 Shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) by 21.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 624,334 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 175,087 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.41% of Deluxe worth $14,104,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter worth about $1,770,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Deluxe during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,303,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 73.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 148,447 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,893,000 after purchasing an additional 62,715 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 91.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 130,273 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,539,000 after buying an additional 62,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,017,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Deluxe Price Performance

Deluxe stock traded up $0.14 on Monday, reaching $16.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 196,942 shares, compared to its average volume of 256,114. 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 $722.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.69, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business's fifty day moving average price is $18.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.41.

Remove Ads

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. Equities analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders 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 7.43%. Deluxe's payout ratio is 101.69%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 3,926 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. The trade was a 1.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on DLX shares. Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th.

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.