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

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

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

Deluxe Stock Performance

NYSE DLX opened at $15.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The business’s 50 day moving average is $19.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $703.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.41, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46. Deluxe has a 12-month low of $15.13 and a 12-month high of $24.87.

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%. Research analysts expect that Deluxe will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 4.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Deluxe

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe in the 4th quarter worth approximately $220,326,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Deluxe by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,260,552 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $118,836,000 after acquiring an additional 64,060 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Deluxe by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,361,658 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $53,351,000 after acquiring an additional 177,534 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 1.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,695,132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,038,000 after purchasing an additional 18,133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Deluxe by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,280,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,921,000 after purchasing an additional 31,288 shares during the period. 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.