Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Shares Gap Up After Dividend Announcement

Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The stock had previously closed at $23.90, but opened at $26.88. Deluxe shares last traded at $26.6890, with a volume of 616,902 shares traded.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Monday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Deluxe from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Deluxe in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.00.

Deluxe Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $22.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.37.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $540.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $526.50 million. Deluxe had a return on equity of 22.42% and a net margin of 3.90%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.84 EPS. Deluxe has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.450-3.60 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Deluxe Corporation will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Deluxe by 18.3% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 736,679 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,721,000 after acquiring an additional 113,886 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Deluxe during the third quarter worth about $512,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,577,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Deluxe in the second quarter worth $326,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in Deluxe by 2,242.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 20,049 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $319,000 after buying an additional 19,193 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Deluxe Company Profile

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.