Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. CJS Securities upgraded shares of Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Deluxe from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Deluxe from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th.

Deluxe Stock Performance

NYSE:DLX opened at $27.35 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08. The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.37. Deluxe has a fifty-two week low of $13.61 and a fifty-two week high of $28.60.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Deluxe

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Deluxe during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Deluxe by 3,597.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,738 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,691 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Deluxe by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Deluxe

Deluxe Corporation, founded in 1915 and headquartered in Shoreview, Minnesota, is a provider of integrated business and financial technology solutions. Originally established as a check printing company, Deluxe has evolved its offerings to support small businesses, financial institutions and entrepreneurs with a comprehensive suite of services spanning print, digital and software platforms.

The company’s core business activities include printing checks, forms and promotional materials, as well as delivering digital marketing and customer engagement solutions.