Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Reaches New 1-Year Low - What's Next?

Shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $17.92 and last traded at $18.37, with a volume of 454726 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $18.56.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on DLX shares. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Deluxe Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $837.77 million, a P/E ratio of 16.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $22.13 and a 200 day moving average of $21.05. 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 earnings results 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 net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 21.33%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Deluxe Co. will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.34%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Deluxe's dividend payout ratio is currently 101.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 2,290 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $23.57 per share, for a total transaction of $53,975.30. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 180,960 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,265,227.20. This represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 4.23% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DLX. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Deluxe in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $220,326,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Deluxe by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,361,658 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $53,351,000 after purchasing an additional 177,534 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Deluxe in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,210,000. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Deluxe by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 596,977 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $13,486,000 after purchasing an additional 118,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in Deluxe by 34.2% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 408,069 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $9,218,000 after purchasing an additional 103,989 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

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.