Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Sidoti

Sidoti upgraded shares of Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Deluxe from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th.

Deluxe Price Performance

DLX stock opened at $23.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Deluxe has a 1 year low of $18.48 and a 1 year high of $24.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.81 and a 200 day moving average of $21.34. The company has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.52.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.17%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. Deluxe’s payout ratio is currently 96.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deluxe

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was purchased 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 in the company, valued at $4,265,227.20. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Deluxe

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Deluxe during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Deluxe during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. FMR LLC increased 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 worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.