Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Hits New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $18.45 and last traded at $18.68, with a volume of 234542 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Sidoti upgraded shares of 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 research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Deluxe Trading Down 2.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $821.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.52. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $22.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. As a group, research analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.46%. Deluxe's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.69%.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $23.57 per share, with a total value of $53,975.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 180,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,265,227.20. The trade was 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Deluxe

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its position in Deluxe by 171.0% in the fourth quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 56,185 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,269,000 after acquiring an additional 35,456 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 118,300 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,260,552 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $118,836,000 after buying an additional 64,060 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the fourth quarter worth about $181,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 233,687 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,279,000 after buying an additional 21,685 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.