Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC Makes New $1.55 Million Investment in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 68,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,548,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,028,079 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,041,000 after buying an additional 17,583 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 231,624 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,232,000 after buying an additional 11,233 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Deluxe by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 214,690 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,850,000 after buying an additional 6,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 186,766 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,640,000 after acquiring an additional 26,473 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Deluxe Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DLX opened at $15.98 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. Deluxe Co. has a 12 month low of $15.13 and a 12 month high of $24.87. The company has a market capitalization of $710.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.54, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $20.52 and its 200 day moving average is $20.75.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 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 predict that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.51%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on DLX shares. StockNews.com downgraded Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Company 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.