Algert Global LLC Raises Stock Position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Algert Global LLC raised its holdings in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 123,809 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,003 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC owned 0.28% of Deluxe worth $2,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC grew its position in Deluxe by 73.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 148,447 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,893,000 after buying an additional 62,715 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Deluxe by 91.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 130,273 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,539,000 after purchasing an additional 62,148 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in Deluxe during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,017,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Deluxe by 63.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 3,926 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,488,398.95. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Deluxe Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DLX opened at $15.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $685.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.49. Deluxe Co. has a 52 week low of $13.70 and a 52 week high of $24.87. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. Deluxe had a return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. The business had revenue of $536.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $525.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.76 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DLX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sidoti raised shares of Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, TD Securities lowered their price objective on Deluxe from $33.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st.

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.