Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stake in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,361,658 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 177,534 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 5.33% of Deluxe worth $53,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 73.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 148,447 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,893,000 after buying an additional 62,715 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Deluxe during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 62,148 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of Deluxe in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,017,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Deluxe by 63.5% in the 4th 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 period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Deluxe Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:DLX traded up $0.07 on Monday, hitting $15.15. 464,859 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 289,011. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The company has a market cap of $677.46 million, a PE ratio of 12.84, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.41. Deluxe Co. has a 52 week low of $13.70 and a 52 week high of $24.87.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (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 business's revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.76 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Deluxe Co. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Deluxe's dividend payout ratio is currently 96.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Barry C. Mccarthy bought 3,926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. TD Securities lowered 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. Sidoti raised shares of Deluxe to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th.

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.