Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $16.85 and last traded at $16.88, with a volume of 398653 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.03.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on DLX shares. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Deluxe Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The company has a market cap of $721.12 million, a P/E ratio of 13.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $21.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.87.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $23.57 per share, with a total value of $53,975.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 180,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,265,227.20. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the fourth quarter worth $220,326,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Deluxe by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,260,552 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $118,836,000 after acquiring an additional 64,060 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,361,658 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $53,351,000 after purchasing an additional 177,534 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Deluxe by 1.1% during the 3rd 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. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Deluxe by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,280,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,921,000 after purchasing an additional 31,288 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by 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.