O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Takes $889,000 Position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 39,335 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $889,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC owned 0.09% of Deluxe as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deluxe during the 4th quarter worth $220,326,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Deluxe during the fourth quarter worth about $3,210,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 24.7% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 596,977 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,486,000 after acquiring an additional 118,300 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Deluxe by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 408,069 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,218,000 after acquiring an additional 103,989 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Deluxe by 59.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 207,230 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,681,000 after purchasing an additional 76,957 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on DLX shares. StockNews.com lowered Deluxe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Sidoti raised Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Deluxe Price Performance

Deluxe stock opened at $14.87 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $17.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.12. The firm has a market cap of $665.08 million, a PE ratio of 12.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Deluxe Co. has a 52-week low of $14.10 and a 52-week high of $24.87.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.75 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.07%. Deluxe’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy acquired 3,926 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.45 per share, with a total value 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. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Deluxe Company 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.