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

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Separately, Sidoti upgraded shares of Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Stock Performance

Shares of DLX stock opened at $18.79 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $831.83 million, a P/E ratio of 15.15, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.52. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $22.70 and its 200 day moving average is $21.29. Deluxe has a 12 month low of $18.38 and a 12 month high of $24.87.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a return on equity of 21.15% and a net margin of 2.58%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Deluxe will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 2,290 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $23.57 per share, with a total value of $53,975.30. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 180,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,265,227.20. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DLX. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Deluxe by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 186,766 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,640,000 after acquiring an additional 26,473 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital bought a new stake in Deluxe in the 3rd quarter worth $1,490,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in Deluxe by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 115,280 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,247,000 after acquiring an additional 10,447 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Deluxe by 73.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 148,447 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,893,000 after acquiring an additional 62,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Deluxe by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,028,079 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,041,000 after acquiring an additional 17,583 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.