Deluxe (NYSE:DLX) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Technical breakout: Deluxe (DLX) moved above its 200-day moving average of $22.83, trading as high as $28.15 and last at $27.6890.
• Mixed analyst picture: Brokerages have mostly upgraded DLX to an overall consensus rating of Buy (one Strong Buy, three Buy, one Hold), although the consensus target price is $23.00, below the current share price.
• Attractive income: Deluxe recently paid a $0.30 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.20) for a 4.3% yield with a payout ratio of about 63.8%.

Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $22.83 and traded as high as $28.15. Deluxe shares last traded at $27.6890, with a volume of 237,264 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DLX. Zacks Research raised shares of Deluxe from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Deluxe from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, CJS Securities upgraded Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $23.00.

Deluxe Stock Down 0.8%

The business's fifty day moving average price is $27.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deluxe

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Deluxe by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,955,732 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $110,661,000 after acquiring an additional 35,030 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Deluxe by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,915,349 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $65,100,000 after purchasing an additional 25,202 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,652,098 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $59,223,000 after purchasing an additional 57,743 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 2,080,804 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $46,464,000 after purchasing an additional 8,823 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Deluxe by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,930,885 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $43,117,000 after purchasing an additional 113,026 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

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.

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