Empowered Funds LLC Has $5.23 Million Holdings in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 231,624 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,233 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.52% of Deluxe worth $5,232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DLX. Arjuna Capital bought a new position in shares of Deluxe during the third quarter valued at $1,490,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Deluxe during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,303,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Deluxe by 73.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 148,447 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,893,000 after purchasing an additional 62,715 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Deluxe by 91.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 130,273 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,539,000 after buying an additional 62,148 shares during the period. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in Deluxe in the fourth quarter valued at $1,017,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 2,290 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $23.57 per share, for a total transaction of $53,975.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 180,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,265,227.20. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.23% of the company’s stock.

Deluxe Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DLX opened at $18.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.14. Deluxe Co. has a 1-year low of $18.38 and a 1-year high of $24.87. The firm has a market cap of $821.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.52. 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 (NYSE:DLX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by ($0.05). Deluxe had a return on equity of 21.33% and a net margin of 2.49%. Analysts anticipate that Deluxe Co. will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.46%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on DLX. StockNews.com lowered shares of Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Sidoti upgraded shares of Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

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.