Arjuna Capital Takes Position in Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX)

Key Points

• Arjuna Capital has acquired a new stake in Deluxe Corporation, investing approximately $1.13 million to purchase 71,237 shares.
• Institutional investors hold a significant 93.90% of Deluxe's stock, with other notable investors including Vanguard Group and JPMorgan Chase increasing their holdings recently.
• Deluxe has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, translating to an annual yield of 7.5%, although the company's dividend payout ratio stands at a high 96.00%.

Arjuna Capital bought a new stake in shares of Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 71,237 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,126,000. Arjuna Capital owned 0.16% of Deluxe as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Deluxe by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 25,188 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $569,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in Deluxe by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 25,024 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Deluxe by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 20,279 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 1,452 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 13,631 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Deluxe by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 26,624 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $601,000 after buying an additional 1,505 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Deluxe in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Deluxe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, TD Securities cut their price objective on Deluxe from $33.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st.

Deluxe Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE DLX traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $18.85. The stock had a trading volume of 145,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 382,443. The company has a market capitalization of $845.81 million, a P/E ratio of 14.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.49. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $16.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.32. Deluxe Corporation has a 52 week low of $13.61 and a 52 week high of $24.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Deluxe (NYSE:DLX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.17. Deluxe had a return on equity of 21.12% and a net margin of 2.75%. The firm had revenue of $521.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $526.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Deluxe Corporation will post 2.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Deluxe's payout ratio is currently 93.02%.

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.