Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Posts Earnings Results

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.14, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $535.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $517.40 million. Deluxe had a net margin of 3.90% and a return on equity of 22.42%.

Deluxe Stock Down 1.9%

Deluxe stock traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $23.94. 903,348 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 434,421. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.37. Deluxe has a fifty-two week low of $13.61 and a fifty-two week high of $25.10. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $22.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Deluxe in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Deluxe from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Deluxe has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Deluxe

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Deluxe by 99.7% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 543,359 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,645,000 after buying an additional 271,225 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 49.9% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 634,447 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,094,000 after acquiring an additional 211,109 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe in the third quarter worth about $2,753,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Deluxe by 25.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 505,810 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,996,000 after purchasing an additional 102,948 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Deluxe by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 322,171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,126,000 after purchasing an additional 91,673 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Deluxe

Deluxe Corporation, founded in 1915 and headquartered in Shoreview, Minnesota, is a provider of integrated business and financial technology solutions. Originally established as a check printing company, Deluxe has evolved its offerings to support small businesses, financial institutions and entrepreneurs with a comprehensive suite of services spanning print, digital and software platforms.

The company’s core business activities include printing checks, forms and promotional materials, as well as delivering digital marketing and customer engagement solutions.