Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Upgraded to “Hold” at Sidoti

Sidoti upgraded shares of Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, StockNews.com raised Deluxe from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

Deluxe Trading Down 0.9 %

Deluxe stock opened at $23.20 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.52. Deluxe has a fifty-two week low of $18.48 and a fifty-two week high of $24.87. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $22.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.17%. Deluxe’s payout ratio is 96.77%.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 2,290 shares of the business’s 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 purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 180,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,265,227.20. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Deluxe

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DLX. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe in the fourth quarter worth about $1,770,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Deluxe by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 214,690 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,850,000 after acquiring an additional 6,303 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Deluxe by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 231,624 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,232,000 after purchasing an additional 11,233 shares during the period. EMC Capital Management lifted its position in Deluxe by 231.9% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 5,417 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the period. 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.