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

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

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

Deluxe Stock Performance

DLX stock opened at $16.42 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Deluxe has a 12-month low of $15.13 and a 12-month high of $24.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $734.03 million, a PE ratio of 13.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts forecast that Deluxe will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 3,926 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 272,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,488,398.95. This represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Deluxe in the third quarter worth about $1,303,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 34.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 50,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $979,000 after acquiring an additional 12,992 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its holdings in Deluxe by 53.7% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 43,105 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $840,000 after acquiring an additional 15,052 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Deluxe during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Deluxe by 57.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.