Sterling Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 12,576.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,493 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Deluxe were worth $444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Deluxe by 93.7% in the fourth 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 during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 57.2% during the third 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. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Deluxe by 63.5% in 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 last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management boosted 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 valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,785 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Deluxe Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of DLX stock opened at $14.54 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.77. The stock has a market cap of $650.14 million, a P/E ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.41. Deluxe Co. has a 12 month low of $13.70 and a 12 month high of $24.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 21.33%. On average, research analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DLX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.45 per share, with a total value of $64,582.70. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,851 shares in the company, valued at $4,488,398.95. This represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.