Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) shares reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $18.45 and last traded at $18.68, with a volume of 234542 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $20.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DLX. StockNews.com downgraded Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Sidoti raised shares of Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $22.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.29. The firm has a market cap of $831.83 million, a PE ratio of 15.15, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 21.15% and a net margin of 2.58%. On average, research analysts forecast that Deluxe Co. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given 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 6.39%. Deluxe’s payout ratio is currently 96.77%.

Insider Activity at Deluxe

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $23.57 per share, with a total value of $53,975.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 180,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,265,227.20. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Deluxe

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in DLX. Kendall Capital Management increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 50,686 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 19,910 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Deluxe in the fourth quarter valued at $1,548,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Deluxe by 93.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Deluxe by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 18,384 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Deluxe in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,770,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.