Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX) Receives $23.00 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently 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 research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Deluxe from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded Deluxe to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Deluxe in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Deluxe in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Deluxe in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Deluxe by 227.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,950 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 2,050 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deluxe Price Performance

DLX opened at $27.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 14.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.41. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $23.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.48. Deluxe has a 52-week low of $13.61 and a 52-week high of $28.60.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The business services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $540.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $526.50 million. Deluxe had a return on equity of 22.62% and a net margin of 3.99%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Deluxe will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. Deluxe’s payout ratio is 63.83%.

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.