Wealthfront Advisers LLC Takes Position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,753,243 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $220,326,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC owned approximately 0.22% of Deluxe as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DLX. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Deluxe in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Deluxe in the third quarter worth about $36,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in Deluxe by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,257 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 3,926 shares of Deluxe stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.45 per share, with a total value of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 272,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Deluxe Stock Performance

NYSE DLX opened at $16.25 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm has a market cap of $721.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46. Deluxe Co. has a twelve month low of $15.13 and a twelve month high of $24.87. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $20.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.70.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.39%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DLX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Deluxe from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Sidoti raised 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.