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

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

Deluxe Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of DLX opened at $22.98 on Thursday. Deluxe has a twelve month low of $17.60 and a twelve month high of $24.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.13.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.22%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.77%.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 2,820 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $19.08 per share, with a total value of $53,805.60. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 178,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,409,023.60. The trade was a 1.60 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Deluxe

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DLX. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Deluxe during the 1st quarter worth approximately $111,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Deluxe by 14.0% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 14,169 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,740 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 19.0% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 33,624 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $679,000 after purchasing an additional 5,365 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Deluxe by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,167,850 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $106,406,000 after purchasing an additional 171,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Deluxe by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 12,532 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 1,211 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.