Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $14.01 and last traded at $14.15, with a volume of 440753 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.86.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Trading Up 0.5 %

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $16.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.91. 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 company has a market capitalization of $656.45 million, a P/E ratio of 12.44, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.41.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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%. Research analysts predict that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

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Deluxe Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.17%. Deluxe's payout ratio is currently 101.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased 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 in the company, valued at $4,488,398.95. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DLX. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deluxe in the 4th quarter valued at $220,326,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Deluxe by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,260,552 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $118,836,000 after purchasing an additional 64,060 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,361,658 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $53,351,000 after purchasing an additional 177,534 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,695,132 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $33,038,000 after purchasing an additional 18,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,280,259 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $28,921,000 after purchasing an additional 31,288 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

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.