Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Has $47.94 Million Stock Holdings in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lessened its stake in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,122,127 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 43,020 shares during the quarter. Deluxe comprises about 1.0% of Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned approximately 4.79% of Deluxe worth $47,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Deluxe by 93.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Deluxe in the third quarter worth $36,000. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Deluxe by 63.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,237 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the last quarter. EMC Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Deluxe by 231.9% in the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 5,417 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 3,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Deluxe by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,084 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 2,239 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Deluxe

In other Deluxe news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy purchased 3,926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.45 per share, for a total transaction of $64,582.70. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 272,851 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,488,398.95. This trade represents a 1.46% 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. Company insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

Deluxe Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE DLX traded up $0.04 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.24. 136,374 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 290,287. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $13.70 and a fifty-two week high of $24.87. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $15.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $726.58 million, a PE ratio of 13.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.49.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $536.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $525.43 million. Deluxe had a net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 21.33%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Deluxe Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Deluxe's payout ratio is currently 96.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. TD Securities reduced their price objective on Deluxe from $33.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Sidoti raised Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

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.