Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on DLX. Barrington Research started coverage on Deluxe in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $31.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings raised Deluxe from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.00.

Deluxe Trading Up 2.6%

Deluxe stock opened at $26.61 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $23.58 and its 200-day moving average is $25.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.07. Deluxe has a 1 year low of $18.56 and a 1 year high of $32.07. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.43, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.29.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The business services provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.11. Deluxe had a net margin of 3.90% and a return on equity of 23.02%. The business had revenue of $553.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $532.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Deluxe will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 17th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 17th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Deluxe in the 2nd quarter valued at about $62,000. Strs Ohio grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 147.4% in the 1st quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 4,700 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $244,000. Amundi bought a new stake in shares of Deluxe in the 1st quarter worth approximately $327,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deluxe in the 1st quarter worth approximately $360,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Deluxe Company Profile

Deluxe (NYSE: DLX) provides payments, data and marketing services to businesses and financial institutions. Its offerings include payment processing and related technology, business checks and forms, and services that help organizations reach and engage customers. The company serves a range of clients, including small businesses, banks and credit unions, and larger enterprises. Its services support both day-to-day business operations and digital commerce. Founded in 1915 as a check-printing business, Deluxe has expanded beyond its original products into a broader range of business services.