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

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

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

Deluxe Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of DLX stock opened at $16.42 on Wednesday. Deluxe has a 52-week low of $15.13 and a 52-week high of $24.87. The business’s fifty day moving average is $18.50 and its 200 day moving average is $20.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 21.33%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Deluxe will post 2.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired 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 owns 272,851 shares in the company, valued at $4,488,398.95. This represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DLX. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Deluxe by 93.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 534 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Deluxe by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 25,188 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $569,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 18,384 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank boosted its position in shares of Deluxe by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 87,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,965,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in Deluxe by 57.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 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.