Intech Investment Management LLC Acquires 53,395 Shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 79.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,242 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 53,395 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC owned about 0.27% of Deluxe worth $2,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 93.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Deluxe in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Deluxe in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,166 shares during the period. Finally, 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 period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Deluxe Stock Performance

NYSE:DLX opened at $16.26 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $19.21 and its 200-day moving average is $20.46. Deluxe Co. has a 52-week low of $15.13 and a 52-week high of $24.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $727.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.78, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.46.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last posted 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 return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.38%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.69%.

Insider Activity

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 3,926 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 272,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,488,398.95. The trade was a 1.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 4.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DLX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sidoti upgraded shares of Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th.

Deluxe 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.