Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Downgraded to Buy Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday.

Separately, Sidoti raised shares of Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Trading Up 0.8 %

Deluxe stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $19.02. The stock had a trading volume of 440,811 shares, compared to its average volume of 335,079. Deluxe has a 52-week low of $18.38 and a 52-week high of $24.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.61 and a 200 day moving average of $21.22. The firm has a market cap of $841.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 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 return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. On average, analysts anticipate that Deluxe will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Deluxe's payout ratio is 101.69%.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $23.57 per share, with a total value of $53,975.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 180,960 shares in the company, valued at $4,265,227.20. The trade was a 1.28 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.23% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $220,326,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Deluxe by 249.9% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 169,473 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,806,000 after buying an additional 121,042 shares in the last quarter. Arjuna Capital purchased a new position in Deluxe in the third quarter valued at $1,490,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe in the fourth quarter worth about $1,770,000. Finally, Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter worth about $1,548,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently 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.