O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Purchases New Position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 39,335 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $889,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DLX. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in 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. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the third quarter worth about $36,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% in the 4th 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. Finally, EMC Capital Management grew its stake in Deluxe by 231.9% during the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 5,417 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 3,785 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Deluxe Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of DLX stock opened at $14.87 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $665.08 million, a P/E ratio of 12.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.41. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $17.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.12. Deluxe Co. has a twelve month low of $14.10 and a twelve month high of $24.87.

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

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Deluxe’s payout ratio is 101.69%.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.45 per share, with a total value of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. The trade was a 1.46 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DLX shares. Sidoti upgraded Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th.

About Deluxe

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.