Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Downgraded to Buy Rating by StockNews.com

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Separately, Sidoti raised Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Stock Down 2.1 %

Deluxe stock opened at $15.80 on Wednesday. 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 has a 1-year low of $15.13 and a 1-year high of $24.87. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.36. The company has a market cap of $706.53 million, a P/E ratio of 13.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46.

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%. Research analysts anticipate that Deluxe will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 3,926 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Deluxe

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DLX. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Deluxe during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,565,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in Deluxe by 99.5% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 52,040 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,176,000 after acquiring an additional 25,961 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Deluxe by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 100,719 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,275,000 after acquiring an additional 13,683 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in shares of Deluxe by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 15,200 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter worth $301,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.