Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 140,670 Shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) by 21.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 504,619 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 140,670 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 1.14% of Deluxe worth $11,399,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DLX. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Deluxe by 93.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe in the third quarter valued at $36,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 57.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in Deluxe by 63.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management raised its stake in Deluxe by 231.9% during the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 5,417 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,785 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 3,926 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.45 per share, with a total value of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 272,851 shares in the company, valued at $4,488,398.95. The trade was a 1.46 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DLX. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of DLX stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $14.65. 25,516 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 371,819. The firm has a market capitalization of $655.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.41. Deluxe Co. has a 12-month low of $13.70 and a 12-month high of $24.87. The company's 50-day moving average price is $16.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last issued 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 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.19%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Deluxe's payout ratio is presently 101.69%.

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.