Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $21.31 and traded as high as $23.22. Deluxe shares last traded at $23.06, with a volume of 268,777 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised Deluxe from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th.

Deluxe Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.52. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $22.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.33.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.17%. Deluxe's payout ratio is currently 96.77%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.57 per share, for a total transaction of $53,975.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 180,960 shares in the company, valued at $4,265,227.20. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Deluxe

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DLX. Round Hill Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Deluxe by 1.0% in the third quarter. Round Hill Asset Management now owns 50,058 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $976,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in Deluxe by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 1,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 16,231 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 1,299 shares in 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.