Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Sets New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $16.85 and last traded at $16.88, with a volume of 398653 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.03.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Deluxe Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $747.40 million, a P/E ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $21.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.92.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 21.33%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.11%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 2,290 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its position in shares of Deluxe by 378.0% during the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 25,291 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 5.9% in the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 76,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,492,000 after buying an additional 4,277 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Deluxe by 4.8% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 99,066 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,931,000 after buying an additional 4,517 shares in the last quarter. Arjuna Capital bought a new position in Deluxe during the 3rd quarter worth $1,490,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Deluxe by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 220,391 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,295,000 after acquiring an additional 11,122 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.