Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) Shares Acquired by Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,384 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 860 shares during the quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Deluxe were worth $415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arjuna Capital acquired a new position in Deluxe during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,490,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the fourth quarter valued at $1,770,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,303,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Deluxe by 91.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 130,273 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,539,000 after acquiring an additional 62,148 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DLX has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Sidoti upgraded shares of Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 2,290 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $23.57 per share, with a total value of $53,975.30. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 180,960 shares in the company, valued at $4,265,227.20. The trade was a 1.28 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Deluxe Price Performance

NYSE:DLX opened at $17.02 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $21.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.92. The firm has a market cap of $753.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.98. Deluxe Co. has a one year low of $17.01 and a one year high of $24.87.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 21.33%. Research analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.05%. Deluxe’s payout ratio is 101.69%.

Deluxe Profile

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.